Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's ruling coalition enjoyed an early lead on Tuesday as results from legislative and local elections trickled out.
But political analysts said that the high turnout in Monday's polls may well have favored supporters of her detained predecessor, Joseph Estrada, denting her hopes of a crushing victory and a solid majority in the 24-seat Senate.
Arroyo, who took office in January after the military joined anti-Estrada street protests, had campaigned for a clean sweep of all 13 Senate seats on offer in the elections, which were widely seen as a test of her legitimacy.
"The more turnout there is, it's bad news for the President," analyst Nelson Navarro told Reuters, pointing to Estrada's power base among the nation's numerous poor. "It means more rural voters voting, which means more votes for the opposition."
Poll officials said that roughly 85 percent of 36.5 million registered voters had cast their ballots.
With less than two percent of nationwide votes counted, Arroyo's ruling People Power Coalition (PPC) led in contests for eight Senate seats -- one short of the nine that pundits say she needs to secure a solid majority.
Tallies from the officially authorized National Movement for Free Elections put candidates from Estrada's Power of the Masses party ahead in contests for four seats. An independent television broadcaster led in the race for the 13th and final seat.
The Senate is the most powerful body after the presidency but all 262 seats in the House of Representatives and thousands of local posts were also up for grabs on Monday -- MANILA (Reuters)
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