Thailand's electoral officials are set to rule on the surprise and unprecedented nomination of a Thai princess as a prime ministerial candidate for the country's upcoming elections after her brother, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, called the move "inappropriate" and unconstitutional.
The Electoral Commission on Monday will also consider a complaint seeking to ban Thai Raksa Chart party, which on Friday shocked Thailand by announcing the candidacy of Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi in the long-delayed vote on March 24, the first since a military coup in 2014.
The nomination of the 67-year-old by the party, made up of supporters of overthrown ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, broke with a long-standing tradition of members of the royal family staying above politics.
Thailand has been a constitutional monarchy since 1932, but the royal family wields great influence and commands the devotion of millions.