BANGKOK, March 24 - An exit poll in Thailand's first election since a 2014 coup indicated the ousted Pheu Thai Party of exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra won the most seats at 163, while the military proxy party came second at 96 seats.
If correct, the projection would mean that Pheu Thai would not have enough votes to form a majority government in its hoped-for "democratic front" with other parties.
The pro-army Palang Pracharat party that wants to keep junta leader Prayuth Chan-Ocha as prime minister also would need coalition partners, but it would have a better chance due to junta-written electoral rules that favor it. The exit poll, was conducted by Thai research center Super Poll and televised on local channel Thai PBS immediately after voting closed at 5 p.m.