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| King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit |
Head of state: King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Its king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, assumed the throne in June 1946 and is the world's longest-reigning monarch.
The royal family is revered by many Thais.
Prime minister: Yingluck Shinawatra
Yingluck Shinawatra, the youngest sister of ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, led the opposition Pheu Thai party to a landslide victory in July 2011 and became Thailand's first woman prime minister.
Yingluck Shinawatra said she would use her femininity
to promote national reconciliation
In the country's first general election since 2007, Pheu Thai won 265 seats out of a possible 500 - enough to form a single-party government.
However, in what is seen as a shrewd political move, the party announced it would form a coalition with four smaller parties, thus broadening its support in parliament for promised reforms.
Ms Yingluck, aged 44 at the time of her election and a successful businesswoman, has promised to bring stability and reconciliation to her troubled country. However, critics have been quick to point out her inexperience, given that she had never before run for office nor held a government post.
The influence of her brother, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup and convicted of graft two years later, loomed large throughout the election. Despite living in self-imposed exile in Dubai, Thaksin Shinawatra still effectively controls the Pheu Thai party.
Suspicions that Thaksin Shinawatra was still pulling the strings were reinforced when he summoned government ministers for a meeting by web-cam a few weeks after his sister took office.
In the wake of Ms Yingluck's victory, Thaksin said he had no immediate plans to return. But fears remain that any hasty attempts to allow him back as a free man would anger his powerful enemies and threaten his sister's tenure, as well as the stability of the kingdom, which is deeply split between Thaksin's supporters and enemies.
Yingluck Shinawatra has degrees in politics and until now has pursued a corporate career in telecommunications and property. She is married and has one son.
Resource: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15639418
However, in what is seen as a shrewd political move, the party announced it would form a coalition with four smaller parties, thus broadening its support in parliament for promised reforms.
Ms Yingluck, aged 44 at the time of her election and a successful businesswoman, has promised to bring stability and reconciliation to her troubled country. However, critics have been quick to point out her inexperience, given that she had never before run for office nor held a government post.
The influence of her brother, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup and convicted of graft two years later, loomed large throughout the election. Despite living in self-imposed exile in Dubai, Thaksin Shinawatra still effectively controls the Pheu Thai party.
Suspicions that Thaksin Shinawatra was still pulling the strings were reinforced when he summoned government ministers for a meeting by web-cam a few weeks after his sister took office.
In the wake of Ms Yingluck's victory, Thaksin said he had no immediate plans to return. But fears remain that any hasty attempts to allow him back as a free man would anger his powerful enemies and threaten his sister's tenure, as well as the stability of the kingdom, which is deeply split between Thaksin's supporters and enemies.
Yingluck Shinawatra has degrees in politics and until now has pursued a corporate career in telecommunications and property. She is married and has one son.
Resource: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15639418
