SHANGHAI - Singapore and Shanghai’s relationship can be a vanguard of the new partnership between the island state and China, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong told Shanghai party chief Chen Jining on Monday.
Since the Chinese financial hub has always been at the forefront of China’s reform and opening-up campaign, the collaborative relationship between Singapore and Shanghai can be a “pathfinder for more exciting, more ground-breaking projects”, said Mr Wong.
This was his first meeting with Mr Chen since becoming deputy prime minister, and since Mr Chen was promoted to Shanghai’s top position.
With China reopening its borders after three years of Covid-19, Singapore’s leaders have wasted no time in making trips here to renew ties in person and to see the country’s development.
While here, PM Lee met President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang as the two countries announced they would upgrade bilateral relations to an “all-round, high-quality, future-oriented partnership”.
Mr Wong’s trip would have been timed to shortly follow PM Lee’s visit and the improved ties, as he seeks to build rapport with China’s new leadership as Singapore’s next prime minister.
He was appointed deputy prime minister in June 2022 in preparation for the role, and will meet Premier Li Qiang and Executive Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang in Beijing. Both Mr Li and Mr Ding were promoted to the Politburo Standing Committee – the apex of power – in March this year.
In his meeting with the Shanghai party chief on Monday, Mr Wong said Singapore values the comprehensive collaborations with Shanghai and noted that a record 15 deals were signed in April when Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng was in Singapore for the 4th Singapore-Shanghai Comprehensive Cooperation Council.
The agreements covered healthcare, financial services and the digital economy. Trade between Singapore and Shanghai grew by 8 per cent in 2022 from the year before despite the pandemic, reaching nearly $20 billion.
Mr Wong had co-chaired two of those meetings previously, and handed the reins to Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong at the recent conclave.
Mr Chen, who was elevated to the 24-member Politburo comprising the country’s top leaders at the Communist Party of China’s twice-a-decade congress in October 2022, was named soon after to take over from Mr Li Qiang in Shanghai.
He is among a new cohort of technocrats whom President Xi is counting on to help steer China’s technological and economic drive and to bring new thinking into solving the country’s problems.
Mr Chen, who was previously Beijing mayor, is an environmental scientist with a PhD from Imperial College London.
He told Mr Wong that Singapore is a very important partner for China.
President Xi has described Singapore as having the “most in-depth involvement in China’s reform and opening up”, he said, pledging to promote the new upgraded bilateral partnership.
BANGKOK -- Thais voted on Sunday to choose their next government, after a general election campaign focused on whether the pro-military camp should remain in power or pro-democracy opposition groups should take the reins.
A total of 500 seats in the lower house were up for grabs, comprising 400 constituency seats and another 100 "party list" seats to be distributed based on party ballot results. Over 52 million people 18 or older were eligible to vote.
Nikkei Asia is following the race that will determine Thailand's future.
Here are some highlights of our campaign coverage:
5:30 p.m. Hundreds of Move Forward supporters gather as party leader Pita Limjaroenrat parades around Bangkok's Democracy Monument to celebrate the election result.
1:30 p.m. Pheu Thai holds a news conference, confirming plans to team up with the Move Forward Party.
Cholnan Srikaew, the head of the party, says Pheu Thai members "are glad that the MFP got the [most] seats and we are willing to support them to form the government." He adds that Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat's plan to gather a total of 309 seats with other parties is the right approach. "The idea to have 309 seats is good and I think it would lead to a vigorous government, which can push forward policies that they promised the people," Chonlanan says.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the party's first prime minister candidate, says she and Pita exchanged congratulatory words earlier today and that they chatted "to check the mood" for forming a coalition. She says the two parties will hold more serious talks on the details of their arrangement. "We have been working as the opposition parties for years, so I think we can continue our job smoothly together," she says.
12:10 p.m. Move Forward's Pita Limjaroenrat speaks, confirming that he has talked to parties including Pheu Thai, Prachachart, Thai Sang Thai and the Thai Liberal Party. He says this puts his budding coalition in line for 308 seats. He adds that he is now in talks with another small party to get to 309 seats. "With this formula, it is clear that we have a full right to form a majority government," Pita says.
He says Move Forward, Pheu Thai and other parties have already set up a transition team.
He also issues a message for the 250 military-backed senators, whose votes have the power to sway the choice of prime minister. "It is time for the 250 senators to think and decide their stance, whether they would listen to the people's wish. If they care about the people, there will be no problem" for Move Forward to eventually form a majority government.
Move Forward's Pita Limjaroenrat meets the press on May 15, after his party's surprisingly strong performance in Thailand's general election. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
12:00 p.m. The Election Commission has provided party list numbers based on the current reporting. Combined with constituency seats, Move Forward has likely won 151 seats, followed by Pheu Thai at 141. That would give the two opposition groups 292, falling short of the 376 threshold they would need to choose a prime minister themselves.
For the incumbent conservative camp, Bhumjaithai looks to have won 71, Palang Pracharath 40, Prayuth Chan-ocha's United Thai Nation 36, and the Democrat Party 25.
The commission says 17 parties have qualified to receive party list seats. It will allocate these seats by the following method: The total of all party list votes will be divided by 100 to determine the average vote for each seat. Each party's total votes will be divided by that average to yield the number of seats. Any leftover seats will be allocated one by one to the parties in order of rank.
11:30 a.m. Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew said this morning that his party is ready to join a coalition with Move Forward, but that it would wait for the latter -- which won the most seats -- to initiate the discussion. That may already be in the works: Move Forward secretary-general Chaitawat Tulathon said leader Pita Limjaroenrat messaged Pheu Thai prime minister candidate Paetongtarn Shinawatra late last night to suggest that the parties work together.
10:30 a.m. The Election Commission says Thailand saw a record turnout of 75.22% in Sunday's election. They received 592 complaints while voting took place. "The priority is accuracy. If it's fast and wrong, we don't want to do it," says Ittiporn Boonpracong, the commission's chairman.
10:30 a.m. Move Forward's and Pheu Thai's electoral success dominates the front pages of Thailand's newspapers this morning. The English-language Bangkok Post declares their performance at the polls a "triumph." The Thai Post says that orange and red have "seized the country," referring to the colors of Move Forward and Pheu Thai, respectively. Matichon says Move Forward's Pita Limjaroenrat is "approaching" the premier position.
8:00 a.m. With 99% of polling sites reporting, Move Forward maintains its lead in the constituent seat projections and party list votes. It has won more than 14 million party list votes and is expected to take 113 constituency seats.Pheu Thai earned over 10 million party list votes, with a projected 111 constituency seats. Combined, the two parties have 63% of the vote share.
Bhumjaithai is ahead of other conservative parties with 68 constituency seats, followed by Palang Pracharath at 39 seats. Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat is expected to hold a press conference to "declare victory" at noon.
The 42-year-old Pita already tweeted something close to a declaration in the early hours of Monday, writing that he is "ready to be the 30th Prime Minister of Thailand" and vowing to serve all Thais whether they voted for him or not.
The pro-military camp, which had a devastating night at the polls, still has 250 military-appointed senators that will be factored into a vote for prime minister. As even a hypothetical united front of Move Forward and Pheu Thai would lack the necessary 376 lower house seats necessary to make those senators irrelevant, some difficult negotiations likely lie ahead.
12:30 a.m. Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit resigns as leader of the conservative Democrat Party, which is projected to lose seats for the second consecutive election.
12:10 a.m. Move Forward gains nearly 10 million party list votes after 80% of polling stations have reported. Pheu Thai stands at 7.9 million party list votes. Move Forward also leads fellow opposition Pheu Thai in projections for lower house constituency results by three seats.
Sunday, May 14
11:28 p.m. Pheu Thai executives ask the media to wait for the final results, as 73% of polling sites have reported and the Move Forward Party is in the lead.
"The current results are very close and not final," stresses Srettha Thavisin, one of Pheu Thai's prime minister candidates. "We can't say if we will join with MFP. We follow the democratic system: Whoever gets the most votes gets to form the government."
Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Pheu Thai's other prime minister hopeful and the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is asked about Move Forward's unexpected lead. "I'm happy for them," she says. "We have worked together before."
Pheu Thai prime minister candidates Srettha Thavisin, in the background, and Paetongtarn Shinawatra meet the press at party headquarters in Bangkok on May 14. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
10:50 p.m. With 60% of polling stations reporting, Move Forward continues to lead in party list votes at 26.86% to Pheu Thai's 23.19%, as well as constituency seat projections. United Thai Nation is a distant third at 9.11%.
10:45 p.m. Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, founder of United Thai Nation, says the election results so far are a "good start" for the fledgling party.
"We are confident that we did our best, especially Prayuth," he says of the party's prime ministerial candidate, the incumbent Prayuth Chan-ocha. Asked if the party would try to form a government, Pirapan says no talks have taken place with other parties. "We won't do anything that's against procedure," he says.
10:35 p.m. Prayuth Chan-ocha, the incumbent prime minister and former general who led the 2014 military coup, has called it a night. He left the United Thai Nation headquarters a little while ago.
10:10 p.m. Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat speaks on what is shaping up to be a big night for his opposition party.
"We are starting to be confident that we can reach our goal of at least 100 seats, maybe even 160 or more," he says. While there is still quite a ways to go, he says the preliminary results suggest a minority government can be all but ruled out. He says Move Forward has won all constituencies in Bangkok, even though four districts have not finished counting.
"The only parties with more than 100 seats are MFP and Pheu Thai, and the current ruling parties are unlikely to get 100 seats," he says of the projections.
Asked if he has contacted Pheu Thai about a potential coalition, he responds: "Not yet, we want the official result first. We're confident on our side but we want the official result first ... No discussions with any party yet."
Pita reiterates that "if any of the generals are involved, Moved Forward will not be part of that government." He vows to call a party executive meeting tonight or tomorrow to talk about forming a government "in line with what we promised."
Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat speaks during a press conference at the party's headquarters in Bangkok on May 14. (Photo by Adryel Talamantes)
10:00 p.m. Over 41% of polling places have finished counting. Move Forward is still in the lead for party list votes at 26.16%, and has jumped ahead of Pheu Thai in projected constituency seats, although there are plenty of ballots left to count.
9:40 p.m. Heavy rain from Tropical Cyclone Mocha is forcing vote counters to move election paraphernalia indoors and delaying reports from some regions, according to local media.
9:30 p.m. With 30% of polling stations reporting and 18.52% of votes counted, Move Forward still leads in party list votes at 25%. Pheu Thai currently has 22.5% of party list votes.
Overall, the Election Commission's reporting platform has Pheu Thai and Move Forward ahead of the pack. The latter's party's leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, is now expected to speak at 10 p.m. Around 150 reporters and supporters are waiting at Move Forward's headquarters, where they've set up stalls offering food and craft beer.
9:15 p.m. Pheu Thai prime minister nominee Srettha Thavisin speaks to reporters gathered at party headquarters. "We are confident that once the result is out, we will lead," he says. Asked if Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat has reached out to begin coalition talks, Srettha says, "Not yet."
The two opposition forces are locked in a tight race. Meanwhile, Pita is expected to delay his appearance to 10 p.m.
Srettha Thavisin, a prime minister candidate for Pheu Thai, speaks to reporters at party headquarters in Bangkok on May 14. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
9:05 p.m. Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, leader of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, speaks briefly to thank voters. "It's too early to say anything about forming a government yet," he says. Palang Pracharath currently stands in sixth place with 1.02% of party list votes, after 20% of polling places finished counting.
The party list system in this election is a major difference from the previous vote in 2019. Back then, voters were given just one ballot to cast for their preferred candidate, and the party list count was determined based on those votes. Constitutional amendments in 2021 gave voters two ballots -- one to cast for a candidate, and the other for a party.
8:45 p.m. Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat is expected to speak at 9 p.m. at the party headquarters, as they lead at 20.99% of party list votes, with 15% of polling places reporting. Pheu Thai leaders, sitting at 19.24%, have postponed their press appearances.
8:30 p.m. With over 12% of polling places reporting, Move Forward has grown its lead in party list votes, with 19.46% to Pheu Thai's 17.72%. United Thai Nation has 7.11%.
8:15 p.m. The count is speeding up, with finished reports from 8,455 out of around 95,000 polling places. Move Forward has jumped ahead with 16.58% of party list votes followed by Pheu Thai at 15.69% and United Thai Nation at 6.04%. We're still waiting for a clearer read on the constituency seats.
8:05 p.m. Nearly 6,000 polling places -- out of 95,000 -- have now finished counting. Pheu Thai has regained the lead in terms of party list votes, with 15.28%. Move Forward is just behind at 15.27%. United Thai Nation remains in third at 5.73%.
The constituency seats, meanwhile, remain up in the air, with only a few districts having counted more than 50% of votes.
7:45 p.m. With 3.46% of polling places finished, the party list count remains a close battle, with 100 of the 500 lower house seats at stake. Move Forward has edged ahead with a 13.36% share versus Pheu Thai's 12.94%. United Thai Nation trails at 4.81% and Bhumjaithai at 1.94%.
7:00 p.m. Two hours after voting closed, 1,382 polling places have finished counting. Pheu Thai is ahead of Move Forward in party list votes by around 2,000.
6:45 p.m. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is mobbed by news media as he arrives at United Thai Nation party headquarters. "I want to thank the Thai people for voting. Everything depends on their vote and if they decide to vote for others it's up to them," he says.
Asked if he has a message for parties in the lead, he replies, "No, I have nothing to do with them."
Polling station staffers count ballots in Bangkok after a day of voting. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
6:37 p.m. Of 95,137 polling sites, 167 have finished counting ballots, according to the Election Commission's reporting website. Pheu Thai is currently ahead of Move Forward in terms of constituent seats and party list votes.
6:10 p.m. Slightly over an hour after polls closed, the Election Commission's official count stands at just 0.22% completed. Only 11 polling stations, or 0.01%, have finished counting.
6:00 p.m. Bars and restaurants in Bangkok resume serving alcoholic beverages, as the ban on liquor sales during the election ends. But the capital is quiet with minimal traffic as the country waits for the election results.
Restaurants and bars like this one in Bangkok are once again permitted to sell alcohol. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
5:55 p.m. Move Forward leads in party list votes with more than 21,000, local media numbers show. Pheu Thai has 9,000 and United Thai Nation has 6,000.
5:20 p.m. More numbers from the just-released National Institute of Development Administration poll: Pheu Thai is projected to win 164 to 172 seats, far from the party's target of 286 to 310. Move Forward would come in second at 80 to 88 seats, followed by the Bhumjaithai Party at 72 to 80 and the ruling Palang Pracharath Party at 53 to 61. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's United Thai Nation is projected to win 45 to 53 seats in its first election. Again, these are the results of polling conducted over the past two weeks.
Another projection by the King Prajadhipok's Institute sees 140 to 141 seats for Pheu Thai and 136 to 137 for Move Forward. United Thai Nation would be in third with 60 to 61 seats.
5:07 p.m. Pheu Thai prime minister candidate Paetongtarn Shinawatra arrives at the party's headquarters in Bangkok with her husband and daughter. Surrounded by the press at the entrance, she urges reporters to wait for the final results. "If we get the majority, it is our right to form a government," she says.
5:00 pm. The National Institute of Development Administration releases its final poll of Bangkok voters, conducted over the past two weeks. The Move Forward Party is projected to sweep 32 of 33 districts in Bangkok, the province with the most seats. Pheu Thai is poised to take only one district, according to NIDA's numbers, as reported by local media.
A voter casts his ballot at a polling station in Bangkok on May 14. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
5:00 p.m. The polls have closed, and the counting is about to begin. We can expect rough results to be known later in the evening.
ANKARA, Türkiye: Türkiye is headed for a runoff presidential vote after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan outperformed projections in Sunday's election (May 14) as he sought to extend his two-decade rule, holding a sizable lead over his rival but falling short of an outright majority.
The presidential vote will decide not only who leads Türkiye, a NATO-member country of 85 million, but also whether it reverts to a more secular, democratic path; how it will handle its severe cost of living crisis and manage key relations with Russia, the Middle East and the West.
Kilicdaroglu, who said he would prevail in the runoff, urged his supporters to be patient and accused Erdogan's party of interfering with the counting and reporting of results.
But Erdogan performed better than pre-election polls had predicted, and he appeared in a confident and combative mood as he addressed his flag-waving, cheering supporters.
"We are already ahead of our closest rival by 2.6 million votes. We expect this figure to increase with official results," Erdogan said.
With almost 97 per cent of ballot boxes counted, Erdogan led with 49.39 per cent of votes and Kilicdaroglu had 44.92 per cent, according to state-owned news agency Anadolu. Türkiye's High Election Board gave Erdogan 49.49 per cent with 91.93 per cent of ballot boxes counted.
ERDOGAN HAS EDGE
The results reflected deep polarization in a country at a political crossroads. The vote was set to hand Erdogan's ruling alliance a majority in parliament, giving him a potential edge heading into the runoff.
Opinion polls before the election had pointed to a very tight race but gave Kilicdaroglu, who heads a six-party alliance, a slight lead. Two polls on Friday even showed him above the 50 per cent threshold.
"Erdogan will have an advantage in a second vote after his alliance did far better than the opposition's alliance," said Hakan Akbas, managing director of political advisory Strategic Advisory Services.
A third nationalist presidential candidate, Sinan Ogan, stood at 5.3 per cent of the vote. He could be a "kingmaker" in the runoff depending on which candidate he endorses, analysts said.
The opposition said Erdogan's party was delaying full results from emerging by lodging objections, while authorities were publishing results in an order that artificially boosted Erdogan's tally.
Kilicdaroglu, in an earlier appearance, said that Erdogan's party was "destroying the will of Türkiye" by objecting to the counts of more than 1,000 ballot boxes. "You cannot prevent what will happen with objections. We will never let this become a fait accompli," he said.
While a runoff was expected, what was not expected “was that the gap between Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu would be as large as it was”, said Dr James Dorsey, adjunct senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
“It was expected that it would be a neck-to-neck race. Sinan Ogan, the third candidate, is at this moment undeclared in who he will support in a runoff,” he told CNA’s Asia First on Monday, adding that his voters are more likely to opt for Erdogan than for Kilicdaroglu.
Mr Kilicdaroglu has pledged to set Turkey on a new course by reviving democracy after years of state repression, returning to orthodox economic policies, empowering institutions who lost autonomy under Mr Erdogan’s tight grasp and rebuilding frail ties with the West.
Thousands of political prisoners and activists could be released if the opposition prevails.
Critics fear Mr Erdogan will govern ever more autocratically if he wins.
The 69-year-old president, a veteran of a dozen election victories, says he respects democracy and denies being a dictator.
A third nationalist presidential candidate, Mr Sinan Ogan, stood at 5.3 per cent of the vote. Who he decides to endorse in the next round could be critical.
Parliamentary results
Turks are also voting for a new Parliament.
The People’s Alliance comprising Mr Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted AKP and the nationalist MHP and others appeared to have fared better than expected and be headed for a majority.
With 93 percent of votes counted, Mr Erdogan’s alliance looked on course for 324 seats in the 600-seat Parliament.
Mr Kilicdaroglu’s Nation Alliance, formed of six opposition parties including his secularist CHP, looked set for 211 seats.
The Labour and Freedom alliance, led by the pro-Kurdish Green Left party, appeared headed for 65 seats.
Mr Erdogan commands fierce loyalty from pious Turks who once felt disenfranchised in secular Turkey.
However, if Turks do oust Mr Erdogan it will be largely because they saw their prosperity and ability to meet basic needs decline, with inflation that topped 85 per cent in October 2022 and a collapse in the lira currency.
Mr Erdogan has taken tight control of most of Turkey’s institutions and sidelined liberals and critics.
Human Rights Watch, in its World Report 2022, said Mr Erdogan’s government has set back Turkey’s human rights record by decades.
Kurdish voters, who account for 15 per cent to 20 per cent of the electorate, will play a vital role, with the Nation Alliance unlikely to attain a parliamentary majority by itself. REUTERS
BANGKOK: Law consultant Paramait Vithayaruksun arrived to join celebrations at the headquarters of Thailand's Move Forward party late on Sunday (May 14), after a rolling vote count showed the opposition group taking the lead in what many are calling a historic election.
"I didn't imagine this day would come," said the 29-year-old, who joined the party two years ago and is slated to represent a Bangkok district in parliament.
Move Forward has shaken the political landscape, long dominated by military-backed parties or the opposition Pheu Thai party driven by the billionaire Shinawatra family.
According to preliminary results released by the election commission, Move Forward's lead in 113 of the 400 seats where members of parliament are directly elected has put it ahead of the 112 seats cornered by Pheu Thai, which has won five consecutive general elections since 2001 but either been forced out of power or disqualified each time.
It may also manage to control most of Bangkok's 33 parliamentary districts, the sprawling capital dominated by the conservative establishment in past national elections.
"Sensational!" he said about how he felt, surrounded by security guards and a gaggle of cameras.
"What we promised the public, we will be consistent after the election."
A chunk of Move Forward's support has come from young voters, including 3.3 million eligible to vote for the first time.
Although the party did not officially participate in the 2020 youth protests that challenged the military-backed government and the monarchy, some activists from that movement ran as Move Forward candidates in Sunday's election and many are party workers.
The party's platform includes amending a criminal law that makes insulting the king punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
But it was Move Forward's economic policies, which include improving the minimum wage system, that convinced Pornparhoo Maiwong, 26, to vote for the party.
"I feel like my vote has improved the country," she said, dressed in orange, Move Forward's colour, at party headquarters.
At a stall serving green curry and stir-fried beef to the party faithful, Varin Srisuwan said Move Forward deserved the victory.
"They worked really hard," said the 68-year-old. "But they'll have to work even harder now because they have to serve the people who voted for them."
Into the small hours of Monday, dozens of supporters remained at the headquarters, still celebrating. The faint smell of marijuana wafted in the air.
The election is the first since major youth-led pro-democracy protests erupted across Bangkok in 2020 with demands to curb the power and spending of Thailand's king - breaching a long-held taboo on questioning the monarchy.
The demonstrations petered out as COVID-19 curbs were imposed and dozens of leaders were arrested, but their energy has fuelled growing support for the more radical opposition Move Forward Party (MFP).
As he arrived to vote in Bangkok, MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat, 42, said he expected a "historic turnout".
"Younger generations these days care about their rights and they will come out to vote," he told reporters.
While MFP is looking for support from millennial and Gen Z voters - who make up nearly half the 52 million-strong electorate - Pheu Thai's base is in the rural northeast where voters are still grateful for the welfare policies implemented by Thaksin in the early 2000s.
Prayut also urged voters to turn out in large numbers as he cast his ballot on Sunday.
The former general has made an unashamedly nationalist pitch to older voters, painting himself as the only candidate capable of saving Thailand from chaos and ruin.
But he has lagged badly in the polls, blamed for a sputtering economy and feeble recovery from the pandemic, which battered the kingdom's crucial tourism industry.
Voter Pakorn Adulpan, 85, said he was impressed by the quality of this year's contest.
"I am very hopeful because there is strong competition between many talented candidates, compared to the elections in the past," he told AFP.
Rights groups accuse Prayut of overseeing a major crackdown on basic freedoms, with a huge spike in prosecutions under Thailand's draconian royal defamation laws.
The country has seen a dozen coups in the last century and has been locked over the last two decades in a rolling cycle of street protests, coups and court orders dissolving political parties.
The Shinawatra family's bitter tussle with the royalist-military establishment has been at the heart of the drama, with Thaksin ousted in a 2006 coup and his sister Yingluck unseated by Prayut in 2014.
An unclear or disputed result this time could lead to a fresh round of demonstrations and instability.
Adding to the uncertainty, rumours are already swirling that MFP could be dissolved by court order - the same fate that befell its predecessor Future Forward Party after it performed unexpectedly well at the 2019 poll.
Once results come in, attention will turn to the Electoral Commission, the judges and the generals to see what the next steps will be.
