According to a report by the Guardian, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a leading candidate for Thailand's next prime minister, gave birth to a baby boy just two weeks before the general election.
Shinawatra, who leads the opposition Pheu Thai Party, shared the news on social media with a photo from the hospital, and stated that she will speak with the media in a few days when she is feeling stronger.
'Hello. My name is Phrithasin Suksawat. My nickname is ''Thasin''..Thank you for all your support. In a few days, the mother is waiting to be strong before going to meet the media brothers,'' the image was captioned
The newborn is Shinawatra's second child
The newborn is Shinawatra's second child, and before the birth, she had campaigned actively despite being heavily pregnant.
Shinawatra's family name recognition and the enduring popularity of her party have made her the voters' first or second choice for prime minister, as reported by Al Jazeera.
She is expected to win the most seats in the 500-member lower house in the upcoming election. Shinawatra is the youngest daughter of former prime minister Thaksin, who was ousted from power by a military coup in 2006 due to corruption-related cases and has since been living in self-imposed exile.
In a tweet, Mr Shinawatra expressed his delight about the birth of his seventh grandchild and hinted at a possible return to Thailand to take care of his grandchildren.
"All of my seven grandchildren were born while I had to stay abroad. I may ask for permission to return to take care of my grandchildren since I am almost 74 years old this coming July,'' he wrote.
Elections on May 14
The Shinawatra family has a loyal support base among rural voters in north and northeast Thailand, according to the Guardian, and parties associated with them have won the most seats in every election since 2001. Shinawatra's aunt has also served as prime minister in the past but currently lives in self-imposed exile to avoid prison convictions.
The general election is scheduled for May 14, and campaigning is currently in the final phase.
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