Yingluck Shinawatra elected Thailand’s first female prime minister

Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra and handpicked by him as a candidate, won Sunday’s vote for prime minister, defeating incumbent Abhisit Vejjajiva.

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July 3, 2011

Yingluck Shinawatra, opposition Pheu Thai party candidate and sister of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, waves as supporters celebrate her victory at party headquarters in Bangkok. She defeated incumbent Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Paula Bronstein / AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE VIA GETTY IMAGES

July 3, 2011

Yingluck Shinawatra greets the news media before giving a victory speech at the Pheu Thai party headquarters.

Paula Bronstein / GETTY IMAGES

July 3, 2011

Yingluck's supporters celebrate as election results are announced at Pheu Thai party headquarters.

Paula Bronstein / GETTY IMAGES

July 1, 2011

Yingluck Shinawatra speaks to supporters during monsoon rains at an evening rally on the final day of campaigning in Bangkok.

DAMIR SAGOLJ / GETTY IMAGES

July 1, 2011

A supporter of Yingluck Shinawatra cheers at a rally in Bangkok on the final day of the campaign.

DAMIR SAGOLJ / GETTY IMAGES

July 1, 2011

A man sports a tattoo of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra at a stadium where the last big pre-election rally for the Pheu Thai party is being held in Bangkok.

DAMIR SAGOLJ / REUTERS

Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the prime ministerial candidate for the country’s opposition Pheu Thai party, addresses her supporters during an election campaign in Bangkok. The vote, set for July 3, is shaping up to be a close fight pitting Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s establishment-backed Democrats against allies of Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup.

SUKREE SUKPLANG / REUTERS

Twenty-six political parties signed up on Thursday to take part in a July general election in Thailand that is expected to be close and could open a new, tumultuous chapter in a power struggle that has dogged the country for more than five years. In the photo, supporters of Yingluck Shinawatra hold a poster of her before she arrives for an election campaign in Bangkok.

SUKREE SUKPLANG / REUTERS

Yingluck Shinawatra receives a garland from her supporters during an election campaign in Bangkok

SUKREE SUKPLANG / REUTERS

Yingluck Shinawatra sits on a motorized plough in a rice field during an election campaign in Bangkok. Thai political parties have started campaigning across the country ahead of a general election scheduled for July 3.

SUKREE SUKPLANG / REUTERS

June 6, 2011

Yingluck Shinawatra talks to her staff onbaord a plane to campaign in Nong Khai province. Private-sector reforms, corporate tax cuts, wage increases and a big boost in domestic consumption could be on the cards for Thailand if Yingluck Shinawatra becomes the country's first female prime minister.

Sukree Sukplang / Reuters

Yingluck Shinawatra addresses supporters during a campaign rally for the July 3 general election in Bangkok. Although she was initially dismissed as a lightweight, Shinawatra has run a robust campaign.

Apichart Weerawong / AP

Shinawatra greets her supporters during an election campaign in Bangkok. One Western diplomat with long experience of Thailand likened Yingluck Shinawatra to Sarah Palin, “but with the sense of keep her mouth shut and avoid gaffes.”

SUKREE SUKPLANG / REUTERS

June 13, 2011

Yingluck Shinawatra receives garlands from supporters during a stop at a temple while on the electoral campaign trail in the Thai northern province of Chiang Mai.

Christophe Archambault / AFP/Getty Images

Yingluck Shinawatra, toppled premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s sister and the prime ministerial candidate for country’s biggest opposition Pheu Thai party, hugs a supporter as she visits a market in Bangkok.

STRINGER/THAILAND / REUTERS

Yingluck Shinawatra is welcomed by supporters at Doi Suthep temple in Chiang Mai.

DARIO PIGNATELLI / REUTERS

Yingluck shakes hands with hilltribe villagers during a campaign stop at a university in Chiang Rai province.

PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL / AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Yingluck greets her supporters during an election campaign in Udon Thani province, east of Bangkok.

SUKREE SUKPLANG / REUTERS

Yingluck reads a newspaper as she travels along with members of her team through the northern Chiang Mai province on the electoral campaign trail.

CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT / AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Yingluck gestures to supporters from the back of a “tuk tuk” motorized tricycle while campaigning in Udon Thani province, east of Bangkok.

SUKREE SUKPLANG / REUTERS

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