Image copyright
Getty Images
More than 50 million people were eligible to vote in Sunday’s poll
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.
What are the results so far?
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.
Image copyright
Getty Images
General Prayuth Chan-ocha voted in Bangkok on Sunday
More than 50 million people were eligible to vote in a much-delayed election, the first since Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha led the coup that ousted Mr Thaksin’s sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, five years ago.
But the reported turnout was unexpectedly low, at just 64%. Many questioned this figure as well as discrepancies in the vote count numbers.
Speaking to journalists, the EC’s secretary-general, Charungvith Phumma, blamed “human error”, saying the people who put the numbers of votes in were just regular people.
Despite a lack of official results, both Pheu Thai and PPRP have declared their intentions to form a coalition government.
‘For many, it simply doesn’t add up’
Analysis by BBC’s Nick Beake in Bangkok
Many in Thailand are scratching their heads after a new, pro-junta party – predicted to finish a distance third – apparently managed to win the popular vote.
At the Election Commission HQ, activists and reporters are asking questions.
Why was turnout so low? Why were so many votes discounted? And specific concerns are being raised, for example, about why 1,500 votes cast in New Zealand never make it to a count.
For many, it simply doesn’t add up.
By lunchtime, the hashtag #ECisBust had been tweeted more than 800,000 times. #CheatingElection19 was also trending.
A surreal moment came when one prominent activist, Sombat Boonngamaong turned up as a pirate – for reasons which weren’t obviously clear – and produced a giant calculator as a gift for the president of the election commission. The official raised eyebrows last night when he abruptly ended the announcement of the ballot results because, he quipped, he didn’t have a calculator.
It’s hard at this stage to determine whether alleged irregularities affected the outcome.
General Prayuth’s ruling junta may have reshaped the electoral system to keep themselves in power, but on-the-day polling in Thailand has been viewed as pretty fair in the past.
But unexpected events this time round are prompting angry allegations of incompetence, inconsistencies and at worst corruption.
How does Thailand’s electoral system work?
The military introduced a new constitution in 2017 which critics say is primarily designed to keep pro-military forces in power.
Thailand’s electorate only votes for the 500-seat lower house of parliament. The members of the 250-seat upper house are appointed by the military.
But it’s the combined votes from both houses that will select the future prime minister.
The vote has been seen primarily as a contest between pro-military parties and allies of Mr Thaksin.
He was ousted in a coup in 2006 and lives in self-imposed exile to avoid a conviction for abuse of power. But he still has a significant following, largely among rural and less affluent voters.
At the time of the 2014 coup, the military said it wanted to restore order and stability and put a stop to the street protests which have broken out repeatedly over the years.
But the junta has been accused of taking an authoritarian approach to power, strictly controlling the media and arbitrarily using laws like lese majeste – which prohibits any criticism of the monarchy – to silence opponents.
