When the polls closed

Yingluck Shinawatra greets journalists at a information conference Monday in Bangkok to announce the formation of her coalition government.
Sukree Sukplang / Reuters
Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra speaks to media in the course of a press conference at his residence in Dubai,Tiffany Engagement, United Arab Emirates, on Monday.
Ali Haider / EPA
By Warangkana Chomchuen, NBC News
BANGKOK, Thailand – It’s the dawn of a new era in Thailand with the election of the country’s first female prime minister on Sunday.
Yingluck Shinawatra’s supporters already are comparing her to other Southeast Asian female political icons, like the Philippines' first female president, Corazon Aquino; Indonesia's housewife-turned-president Megawati Sukarnoputri; and Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Incredibly, it took only six weeks to transform the 44-year-old businesswoman into the country’s premier. Her success has been attributed to her pop star appeal, easy-going disposition, overwhelming support from majority rural voters and the fact that she’s a woman.
But no one is happier for Yingluck’s win than her older brother Thaksin Shinawatra, who served as premier for five years before he was booted out in a 2006 military coup.

Yingluck is believed to be a "proxy" for Thaksin, a billionaire business tycoon, who has called her his "clone." He now lives in exile to escape a two-year-prison sentence after a graft conviction,Tiffany Juwelier, but he has handled all major interviews with the media on behalf of his sister.
When the polls closed, Thaksin was the first to confirm on a phone interview broadcast on Thai television that his youngest sister will fill the role of prime minister.
"The voters didn't choose me only because my last name is Shinawatra," Yingluck said at a press conference trying to downplay her brother’s influence. "They like me, the Pheu Thai party, and the management team combined."
Triumph of a braver electorate
Sunday’s general election was seen as a battle between Thaksin and the coup makers who uprooted him.
The champion of three consecutive elections was deposed, his close allies banned from office, his two parties disbanded, and two prime ministers he backed disqualified by the courts.
But the Pheu Thai party's electoral victory is not necessarily a reflection of love for Thaksin and his party by voters.
The election was also a referendum on what voters think of what has happened to their country since the coup in 2006.
Many Thais are increasingly frustrated by what they see as the systematic undermining of democracy,Pandora Beads Sale, through political suppression, coercion and judicial manipulations.
Similarly,Tiffany Co, outgoing Prime Minister Abhisit, who once held so much promise, was defeated not simply because his party is unpopular or its candidates inferior.
Critics say he was submissive to the political elites and military leadership, who helped him to beat the Pheu Thai party in 2008 to take office. That, the critics say, alienated him from the rural poor and pro-democracy supporters.
He also was haunted by his handling of "red shirt" protesters – largely Thaksin's urban and rural supporters – who staged a two-month rally that paralyzed parts of Bangkok last year. The demonstrations led to military crackdowns that left 90 people dead.
Street demonstrations in the past five years – whether by ultranationalist anti-Thaksin "yellow shirts" or pro-Thaksin anti-coup "red shirts" – are testimony to a dramatic change: Suddenly, Thai voters are no longer too shy to make demands.
Turnout of at least 70 percent was reported, and many polling stations saw lines forming before voting began. In Sukhothai, residents braved a ravaging flood,Tiffany Key, and in the restive south,Tiffany Glaskunst, voters ignored the risks of roadside bombings by insurgents.
"The ongoing political crisis has become the country's major issue,Cheap Tiffany," says Kan Chokrungvaranon,New Tiffany, a 23-year-old voter. "It affects people from all walks of life, and elections mean more to them than ever before."
A dawn of reconciliation?
In the short term, Pheu Thai's large mandate could go a long way to restoring Thailand’s stability.
Key political players responded to Pheu Thai's victory in a more conciliatory tone.
Defense Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwon said Monday that military leaders "will allow politicians to work it out" and would not interfere.
Abhisit solemnly conceded election defeat and announced his resignation as the Democrat Party's leader.
He said his party would work with Pheu Thai, but he pledged to oppose Pheu Thai's controversial proposal to give amnesty to political allies and rivals charged in connection with the 2006 coup.
Many people fear the plan could pave way from Thaksin's return and whitewash the corruption charges against him, which he said were politically motivated.
Thaksin tried to avert the concern by saying he's not in a hurry to come home.
"I will wait for the right time and under appropriate conditions to return," he told Thai television. "My return must be part of the solution, not the problem."