Election officials released the first unofficial preliminary results for seats in the lower house Monday as a blizzard of complaints over apparent mistakes in the count and possible irregularities at the polls rolled in. Despite that head start, analysts had not expected the army-linked Phalang Pracharat party to win the popular vote, given anger at junta rule and the enduring popularity of Pheu Thai -- the party of ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra. But preliminary figures showed Phalang Pracharat - with 2014 coup leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha as its candidate for prime minister - ahead in the popular vote. There are still 150 "party list" seats in the lower house up for grabs, which is where the popular vote will matter more. That means Pheu Thai would need to cobble together 376 votes in the lower house to override the Senate advantage, while the junta only needs 126.

Source: Dhaka Tribune March 25, 2019 12:11 UTC