— The sister of exiled Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra swept to victory in fractious Thailand’s elections Sunday, heralding an extraordinary political turnaround five tumultuous years after her fugitive billionaire brother was toppled in an army coup.
The vote paves the way for 44-year-old Yingluck Shinawatra, who has never held office, to become this Southeast Asian kingdom’s first female prime minister. A large mandate to govern could help the new government navigate a way out of out of the crisis that has plagued Thailand since Thaksin’s 2006 overthrow. But the question remains whether the nation’s elite power brokers, including the monarchy and the army, would accept the result. Thaksin was barred from politics years ago after a graft conviction, and the U.S.-educated Yingluck, who he calls “my clone,” is widely considered her proxy.
Abhisit and his allies believe Yingluck is plotting Thaksin’s return through a proposed amnesty that would apply for political crimes committed since the coup. Yingluck says it is aimed at reconciling all Thais — not just her brother. Thaksin has vowed to return by year’s end, but he said Sunday that “I have to be part of the solution … I don’t want to return and create problems. If that’s the case, I don’t have to go back yet.”
In a concession speech, a pale-faced Abhisit said he would continue to oppose amnesty for Thaksin, but said that “from now on, I want to see reconciliation in society.”
Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, said the most important challenge facing the incoming government will be resolving the nation’s divide. “Everyone is talking about political deals, but no one is talking about how to end impunity, restore freedom of expression and hold perpetrators accountable no matter how high up they are,” Sunai said. “Without that, Thailand will never able to get out of this cycle of violence and turn itself around.”
Although Thaksin is credited for awakening what has become a democratic movement among the country’s marginalized poor who long stood silent, his opponents say he is no champion of freedom. During his time in office, Thaksin was loudly criticized for a sharp authoritarian streak and stood accused of corruption, cronyism and abuse of power.
Associated Press writers Grant Peck and Sinfah Tunsarawuth contributed to this report.
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