The electoral win of Yingluck Shinawatra, leader of the Puea Thai party, was finally endorsed by the Election Commission on Tuesday. After a week of political manoeuvring and widespread rumours of a 'judicial coup', Yingluck is now on her way to become Thailand's first female prime minister.
She is able to cross this hurdle now, but more obstacles lie ahead. Clearly, she will have no time to enjoy her political honeymoon.
First is how Yingluck will tackle the reconciliation issue. If Yingluck wishes Thailand to move forward, then she must look back to the recent past and 'clean up' the wrongdoings at the hand of state authorities. The best reconciliation must take place alongside justice. In this process, according to Thai historian Thongchai Winichakul, there are certain steps which Yingluck must take.
As her priority, she needs to urgently modify the Independent Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Thailand, set up to investigate the deadly confrontations between anti-government protesters and the military that took place in April and May last year, in which scores of protesters were killed and many more injured.
The essential changes must start with empowering the commission to access evidence from all sides, including the army and police, to investigate military and police personnel, and to be able to summons them all to testify.
The investigations must be carried out in a transparent manner and attended by independent observers. New members should be appointed in the commission and some old members removed to ensure its impartiality. The commission must also set a fixed time frame for it to report preliminary findings to the public even if the investigation is continuing.
Yet, the most difficult part will be uncovering facts and setting criteria for punishment. Those officers who acted on orders might be considered for pardon if found guilty. Others should receive a fair trial. At the same time, those who were involved in misleading the public must also be punished. The targets here are those who made decisions and gave orders.