25 March 2019 12:02 pm
A pro-military political party in Thailand has taken an unexpected lead in the country's first election since the army took power five years ago.
With more than 90% of ballots counted, the Palang Pracha Rath Party has gained 7.6m of the popular vote - half a million more than opposition Pheu Thai.
Pheu Thai is linked to former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, whose loyalists have won every election since 2001.
The announcement of official results has been postponed until Monday.
However it is now looking likely that the Palang Pracha Rath Party (PPRP) will be in a position to form a government under the current leader, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led the coup that ousted Mr Thaksin's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, in 2014.
More than 50 million people were eligible to vote, but turnout was reportedly low for Thailand at just 65%.
Thailand has been buffeted by political instability for years. After seizing power in 2014, the army promised to restore order and democracy, but had repeatedly postponed this election.
Preliminary results show Pheu Thai (For Thais) has won the most seats in the lower house - 120 out of 350 being elected. A further 150 seats will be allocated under a complicated formula according to each party's share of the national vote.
Because of the way the voting system has been restructured by the military government, Pheu Thai is unlikely to be able to form a government.
Pro-military parties also have an advantage in choosing the next prime minister, because the 250-seat military appointed senate is likely to back the PPRP candidate, Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha.(BBC)