BANGKOK: Less than a fortnight after giving birth to her second child, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the scion of Thailand’s most famous political dynasty, has a date with destiny.
As Thailand goes to the polls on Sunday (May 14), the 36-year-old hopes to deliver victory for the opposition Pheu Thai party – the latest incarnation of the movement founded by her billionaire father Thaksin Shinawatra.
Paetongtarn swiftly returned to campaigning after giving birth to her son on May 1, albeit only by video link so far, as she seeks to become Thailand’s youngest-ever prime minister.
A political newcomer who until last year helped run the hotel arm of the ultra-rich family’s business empire, Paetongtarn is now the face of their latest battle against the military establishment that ousted her father and aunt from power.
Paetongtarn was a near-constant presence on the campaign trail before the birth of her son on May 1, cheerfully glad-handing supporters at rallies in searing heat despite being heavily pregnant.
Two days after giving birth she presented her son to the media, hailing him as her “secret power”, and vowing to get back to the campaign trail.
On Friday she addressed hundreds of supporters in Bangkok by video link, urging them to bring Pheu Thai a landslide victory to thwart the military establishment’s attempts to keep the party from power.
Source: CNA
