Thai Polls Was Favoring Military Government All Along: Election Observer

The poll environment was heavily tilted in favor of a party close to the ruling military government, says Bangkok-based Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL). Amael Vier, an official of the civil society group said many people have expressed distrust towards the electoral process.

The mission's head, Rohana Nishanta Hettiarachchie said it is unfair to conclude that the whole process was free and fair or not. The confusion surrounding the vote count have diminished hopes that the first election since the 2014 military coup would end nearly 15-years of political turmoil in Thailand. Yesterday, an opposition democratic front attracted enough coalition partners to form a government, and a pro-army party also claimed to form the government saying that only military leader Prayut Chan-o-Cha would be the prime minister.

Pheu Thai party, the main opposition, loyal to ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, alleged irregularities and is even considering legal challenges. According to the Election Commission, Pheu Thai is in the lead with 137 seats, while Prayut's party has 97. Counting continues and official results will not be available until May 9. The Election Panel has attributed the delays to human error and irregularities in the early partial results.