Thailand exit polls shows pro-democracy parties leading vote

Pheu Thai Party's prime ministerial candidates Paetongtarn Shinawatra (right) and Srettha Thavisin talk to media persons as they arrive to watch live results on a screen at the party headquarters in Bangkok on Sunday, May 14, 2023 after polls closed in Thailand's general election. - AFP

BANGKOK, May 14 (Bloomberg): Voting ended in Thailand’s national elections with a mix of pre- and post-election surveys showing pro-democracy parties leading in their efforts to replace a military-backed government that first took power in 2014.

A pre-election poll by the National Institute of Development Administration showed the Pheu Thai party winning between 164 and 172 seats, the most of any party. The liberal Move Forward party came in second with between 80 and 88 seats, according to the NIDA poll.