VOA慢速英語：泰國公主參選總理被推翻

Thai Princess' Nomination for Prime Minister Is Struck Down

泰國公主參選總理被推翻

Thailand saw several eventful days after a princess' name was officially entered -- and then struck down -- as a candidate for prime minister. Princess Ubolratana Mahidol is the older sister of Thailand's king, Maha Vajiralongkorn.

公主正式被提名總理候選人又被推翻，泰國歷經了多事之秋。烏汶叻公主是泰國國王哇集拉隆功的姐姐。

Observers say the move adds to the confusion about the upcoming March 24 election. The country has been under military rule since 2014. Next month's election could return it to rule by an elected leader, even if it is a largely authoritarian government that is friendly to the military.

觀察人士稱此舉加劇了即將迎來的3月24日大選的混亂局面。自2014年以來，泰國一直處于軍事統(tǒng)治之下。下個月的選舉可能會讓泰國重返民選領導人的統(tǒng)治之下，即便它很大程度上是一個對軍方友好的專制政府。

Can the princess enter politics?

公主是否可以涉足政治?

The princess' short candidacy was the first time a member of the royal family had tried to enter a political election. The princess and her relatives have traditionally been expected to rise above the usual political fighting. Official rules also prevent the royal family from participating directly in party politics.

烏汶叻公主短暫的候選人資格是泰國王室成員首次嘗試涉足政治。傳統(tǒng)上，公主及其親屬被寄望于超越世俗政治斗爭。官方規(guī)定也禁止王室成員直接參與政黨政治。

But Ubolratana says she does not have to follow those rules because she gave up her royal name in 1972 to marry an American.

但是烏汶叻公主稱她不必遵守這些規(guī)定，因為她在1972年嫁給一位美國人時放棄了自己的王室身份。

Her candidacy was seen as a challenge to current Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. He is a retired general who has led the country under military rule since 2014, when his group seized power. He said he was competing in the upcoming election to keep law and order.

她的候選資格被視為對現任總理巴育的一大挑戰(zhàn)。巴育是一位退役將軍，他從2014年起一直領導著這個國家，當時他的團隊奪去了政權。巴育稱他會參加即將舉行的大選以維護法律和秩序。

But the princess' candidacy was quickly struck down. Her brother, the king, called it inappropriate and unconstitutional. Then the Election Commission disqualified her, saying members of the royal family must remain politically neutral.

但是烏汶叻公主的候選資格很快被推翻了。她的哥哥，泰國國王稱這不合時宜并且違反了憲法。隨后泰國選舉委員會取消了她的資格，稱王室成員必須保持政治中立。

The party that nominated the princess said in a statement that it accepted the king's order. The party, called Thai Raksa Chart, is led by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. He and his group have been in a years-long conflict with the royal family and people who support the monarchy. Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 coup after being accused of abuse of power and disrespect for the monarchy.

提名烏汶叻公主的政黨在一份聲明中表示接受國王的命令。這家名為泰護國黨的政黨是由前總理他信領導。他信和他的團隊與王室以及保王派發(fā)生了長達數年的沖突。他信在2016年的政變中被趕下臺，罪名是濫用權力和不尊重王室。

George McLeod is a political risk expert based in Thailand. He said that by putting forward the princess as a prime minister, Thaksin took a chance and lost.

George McLeod是一位駐泰國的政治風險專家。他說，他信把烏汶叻公主推上總理競選的前臺想碰個運氣，但是失敗了。

But a professor for Southeast Asian Studies at Kyoto University had another idea. Pavin Chachavalpongpun said Thaksin may have achieved exactly what he wanted: forcing the Thai monarchy to engage publicly with politics, and showing conflict within the royal family.

但是京都大學專攻東南亞研究的一位教授有不同看法。Pavin Chachavalpongpun表示，他信可能已經達到了他想要的目標：迫使泰國王室公開卷入政治，并暴露出王室內部的沖突。

I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.

凱莉·吉恩·凱莉報道。