Thai polls results give general 'popular legitimacy': expert Thailand’s ruling junta takes an unexpected lead in the country’s first election since a 2014 coup with more than 90 percent of ballots counted, that will give "more credibility and legitimacy and it will allow General Prayut to claim some democratic mandate" says Thitinan Pongsudhirak, politics professor at Chulalongkorn University. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES