AFTER a long and tense election campaign, it was all over surprisingly quickly. By the afternoon of polling day, July 3rd, it was already evident that the Pheu Thai (pt) party had won by a landslide. At 7.45pm the party leader, Yingluck Shinawatra, appeared before the press to claim victory. She stood at a podium as prime minister-elect, amid a sea of jostling and ill-tempered photographers. She did not punch the air. For three minutes she stood calmly, unblinking, a faint smile on her face, giving a traditional wai greeting. It was great theatre, much like the rest of her slick and brilliantly effective campaign.
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