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Thailand’s 2011 Election

After years of tumult following the 2006 coup that toppled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Thais returned to the polls in July to choose between incumbent Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Mr. Thaksin’s sister, Yingluck Shinawatra. Although many experts feared violence, the vote came off without many glitches. Ms. Yingluck – backed by huge numbers of “Red Shirt” backers who had called for a return of Mr. Thaksin during bloody street protests in 2010 – easily carried the day, marking the latest twist in Thailand’s complicated political dramas.

Yingluck Shinawatra raised her arm with a trademark salute in Bangkok, Thailand.