Coup fears ease as Thai military ‘accept’ election outcome

THAILAND’S powerful military will respect a landslide election win by allies of Thaksin Shinawatra, whom it toppled five years ago, according to the defence minister, easing fears of another coup.

Shinawatra’s sister Yingluck Shinawatra, a 44-year-old political novice now set to become the kingdom’s first female prime minister, announced a coalition deal with four smaller parties to bolster her hold on power.

The election and its aftermath is a major test of Thailand’s ability to emerge from a long political crisis triggered by Shinawatra’s 2006 overthrow that last year saw the country’s worst civil violence in decades.