Thailand: the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra officially presents itself to the legislative

The main opposition party in Thailand, Pheu Thai, on Wednesday formalized the candidacy of Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of the controversial ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, for the national election on May 14, of which she is the favorite.

The red-clad crowd roared as Paetongtarn Shinawatra (36) appeared on the stage on the lawn of a football stadium in suburban Bangkok.

From a wealthy family

She was accompanied by the two other candidates of the movement, Srettha Thavisin, a real estate magnate recently converted into politics, and Chaikasem Nitisiri, a long-time executive.

In Thailand, the Prime Minister is elected by the National Assembly and the Senate, based on names chosen by the parties.

These can designate up to three.

At the head of the polls, Paetongtarn, nicknamed "

", leaves little light to others: the evocation of the family name has unleashed passions in the kingdom for more than twenty years.

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The wealthy Shinawatra family remains a divisive political reference, venerated in the rural regions of the North, but reviled by the military-royalist elites of Bangkok.

His father Thaksin, at the head of a telecom empire with a fortune estimated at two billion dollars, according to Forbes, was prime minister from 2001 to 2006, before being overthrown by the army.

His aunt Yingluck ruled the country from 2011 to 2014, until the putsch led by Prayut Chan-O-Cha, the current prime minister who is running for a second consecutive term.

Road strewn with pitfalls

Although the campaign is gaining momentum, Paetongtarn's public appearances may become scarce as she is expecting a second child in May.

"

," she said.

"

," said Chuthamas Thriwarin, a 67-year-old activist.

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Pheu Thai is campaigning by promising a near doubling of the minimum wage, to 600 baht (16 euros) a day, a shock measure in a kingdom with sluggish growth since the pandemic.

But Paetongtarn, whose first election this is, does not embody an ideological break, explains Puangthong Pawakapan, political analyst at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

"

", who lives in Dubai to escape a conviction for corruption which he considers political, estimates the expert .

The path to power remains strewn with pitfalls for the Shinawatra family, which must come to terms with a Constitution that favors a candidate close to the military.

Pheu Thai is aiming for 310 seats out of the 500 in the National Assembly to circumvent the vote of the 250 senators appointed by the army.

These could block Paetongtarn even in the event of an electoral tidal wave, which could favor the more consensual figure of Srettha Thavisin, judge Puangthong Pawakapan.

"

," Paetongtarn said.