Results of Thailand's post-coup elections delayed

Thailand's Election Commission (EC) on Monday delayed the announcement of the results of the first general elections in the country since the military led by incumbent Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha took power in a coup in 2014.

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

On Sunday night, the EC said that with more than 90 per cent of the ballots counted, the pro-military Palang Pracha Rath Party (PPRP) had gained 7.6 million of the popular vote, the BBC reported.

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

The EC however, did not give any explanation for the delay.

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

More than 50 million people were eligible to vote on Sunday in the first ever polls since General Prayut led the coup that ousted Thaksin's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra.

But the reported turnout was unexpectedly low, at just 64 per cent. Many questioned this figure as well as discrepancies in the vote count numbers.

Despite a lack of official results, both Pheu Thai and PPRP have declared their intention to form a coalition government.

--IANS

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