Thailand election: Confusion as results of post-coup vote delayed

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There is confusion in Thailand over the outcome of the first election in the country since the army took power in a coup in 2014.

 

The Election Commission (EC) initially said the pro-military party, the Palang Pracha Rath Party, was leading the popular vote.

 

That would position it to form a government under the current prime minister, General Prayuth Chan-ocha.

 

But there are growing complaints about irregularities and inaccurate data.

 

Late on Sunday, after polls closed, the EC had said that with more than 90% of ballots counted, the Palang Pracha Rath Party (PPRP) had gained 7.6m of the popular vote.

 

That is half a million more than Pheu Thai, the party linked to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose loyalists have won every election since 2001.

 

However, the EC delayed a full announcement without giving any explanation.

 

By Monday, several local media reports, citing figures from the EC, had different results for the number of seats each party had won.

 

At a press conference on Monday, where it was expected to clarify the preliminary results, the EC instead again delayed announcing them, promising more information later in the day – but no full official results until 9 May.