First Thai female PM faces many challenges
Five premiers in as many years is a statistic that might give Ms. Yingluck pause for thought. Thailand has been beset by political division ever since Mr. Thaksin was ousted.
Yingluck, sister of fugitive Thai ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, greets her supporters during election campaign in Chiang Mai on May 21, 2011 (Pornchai Kittiwongsakul/AFP/Getty Images).
His loyal supporters and bitter enemies have vied for power in parliament and on the streets. Last year, red-shirted demonstrators, the majority of whom were Thaksin allies, laid siege to parts of the capital, Bangkok.
The army was eventually sent in to put down the increasingly confrontational protest, which ultimately left more than 90 people dead. Both sides in this election campaigned on the need for unity after a period marked by bloodshed and bitter recrimination.
"She must now show that she is able to lead in her own right and step out of her brother's shadow"
The outgoing Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, focused the latter stages of his campaign on a warning -- that a vote for Yingluck was effectively a vote for Thaksin, and that would pave the way for the exiled leader's pardon and eventual homecoming. More
- Poll pictures
- Economic fallout
- Q&A: Thai poll
- Thai military's political past
- Party of ousted PM's sister wins Thai election; fear of coup and unrest result (AP/MSNBC)
BANGKOK (Reuters, June 30, 2011) - Graft-busting "Massage Parlor King" Chuwit Kamolvisit must be the only candidate in Thailand's election who wants to be in opposition -- and he prefers being labelled a pimp rather than a politician. More