Bangkok | Monday was a good day to be a progressive in Thailand. The pro-democracy movement contesting Sunday’s election belted the two parties of the caretaker military government out of the park.

This being Thailand, though, it didn’t take long for the thrill to subside and unease to set in. Winning an election is only the first step. What comes next is arguably tougher and, surely, given the past two decades of political mayhem, more dangerous.