Sunday, July 3, 2011

Yingluck Shinawatra - Thailand's Next PM?

From the Star:
Political pundits discounted her from the get-go: she had no political experience, had never held a government post and had never seen the inside of a campaign.

But when polls close and the ballots are counted Sunday, she could become Thailand’s new prime minister — the first woman to do so in this ever-fragile, ever-fractious Asian democracy.

Yingluck Shinawatra, the 43-year-old leader of the Pheu Thai party, has proven herself to be a campaign natural.

Win or lose, she has made her mark in this hotly contested vote.

“She’s an accomplished businesswoman. She has brought new ideas and she seems very strong,” says 27-year-old mother Naron Chantacham, sitting astride a Honda 125 motorcycle in downtown Bangkok. “And I like the fact that she’s a woman. No woman has ever run for prime minister before. People think women are weak and submissive, but she’s going to show everyone that women can lead.”

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