New party looks likely Thai winner

Unofficial exit polls in Thailand indicate that the newly-formed Thai Rak Thai party, led by the wealthy businessman politician, Thaksin Shinawatra, is heading towards a convincing win.

Several independent polls show the party has won more than two-hundred seats in the five-hundred seat House of Representatives, compared with just over a-hundred for the Democratic Party, led by the current Prime Minister, Chuan Leek-Pai.

Official results from the compulsory ballot are not expected to be confirmed until Sunday, but Mr Leek Pai is reported to have admitted defeat.

However, the BBC correspondent in Bangkok says that the formation of a new government could be delayed by investigations into allegations of corruption -- Shinawatra himself faces possible disqualification from office over allegations that he concealed some of his assets. The Thai Rak Thai party was formed only eighteen months ago and has promised large-scale assistance to the tens-of-millions of Thais still suffering the effects of the economic crisis which swept across Asia in 1997.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service