Supporters of Thailand’s former premier Thaksin Shinawatra managed to win the first post-coup election and have the right to form a coalition government, but negotiations with smaller parties are expected to be strenuous.

Election officials announced Monday that the People Power Party (PPP) won 232 of the 480 seats contested in Sunday's vote, just nine seats short of a majority in parliament

Nearly 71 per cent of eligible voters went to polling stations set up across the country, Election Commission Secretary General Suthipol Thaweechaikan informed. The final results weren’t made public because the Election Commission has to look into several charges of election fraud.

The party’s leader Samak Sundaravej predicted the election’s outcome and announced Sunday night he will occupy the prime minister’s seat. The 72-year-old politician said negotiations with smaller parties will begin in the following period in order to form a coalition government before parliament meets in 30 days.

The PPP said it has the support of other parties and is ready to establish a government, but the names of possible coalition partners continue to remain a mystery.

Sunday’s general election is regarded as an important step towards democracy for Thailand, after the military toppled Thaksin on September 19, 2006. During a press conference Samak outlined the importance of the vote, saying the people finally got the chance to express their opinion.

“The coup is dead… Now the people have had their say. The numbers that came out are an answer to those people,” said Samak.

Even so, analysts remain skeptical about the PPP’s capacity to create a viable coalition after its main rival, the Democrat Party, announced that it would not join forces with the pro- Thaksin party.

The Democrat Party won 165 seats, while the Chart Thai Party came third with 37 seats. The Peau Pandin Party followed with 25 seats, as other small parties like Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana (9 seats), Machima Thipataya with seven and Pracharaj with five completed Thailand’s tumultuous political scene.

The PPP has to convince the Chart Thai Party, led by Banharn Silpa-archa, to join the coalition, but the party’s leader said negotiations will last several weeks and the outcome has to be in the national interest.

In the current circumstances, Thaksin is decided to return to his home country by the end of February. The billionaire politician has been living in self-imposed exile since last year’s coup and reportedly moved to Hong Kong to observe the election.