Thailand's military-backed party was on Sunday night headed for an unexpected win over a populist party leading a “democratic front” in the country's first election since a 2014 coup.

Early partial results announced by the Southeast Asian nation’s election commission after it had counted 89 percent of votes put Phalang Pracharat, led by military junta chief Prayuth Chan-o-cha, in the lead with 7 million votes. The main opposition party, Pheu Thai, had 6.6 million.

However, in another surprise twist, Ittiporn Boonprakong, the commission chairman, said the full unofficial results would only be declared on Monday morning, without giving any reason for the delay.

Polling day saw a high turnout among Thailand’s 51.2 million eligible voters who were determined to cast their ballots after five years of military rule under a junta led by General Prayuth.

The close result reflects the deep divisions that remain between supporters of the pro-monarchy junta and those who back Pheu Thai and other parties aligned with Thaksin Shinawatra, the billionaire former prime minister currently living in exile.