Early tallies from Pakistan’s election on Friday showed independent candidates associated with imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan surpassing predictions, following a protracted delay in results that exacerbated allegations of vote-rigging.
Despite being prohibited from running in the election together, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was ahead in most constituencies according to unofficial tallies released by local TV stations. These independent candidates included dozens of individuals who had been endorsed by Khan’s party.
Only thirteen National Assembly results had been declared by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) by 9:00 am (0400 GMT), more than 16 hours after voting places closed.
Four had gone to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), four to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and five had gone to independent candidates associated with the PTI.
Friday’s English-language Express Tribune newspaper included the title, “Independents spring surprise, PTI-backed candidates defy odds.”
According to Sarah Khan, an assistant professor of political science at Yale University, “there was a sense of certainty about the outcome,” AFP said.
“That sense of certainty got upset very early on,” she said. “It’s definitely not the foregone conclusion that anybody thought it might be.”
Omar Ayub Khan, the chief organizer for the PTI, expressed confidence that the party had done enough prior to the formal announcement of the initial results.
Also read: Pakistan locks down borders and halts cellular service to ensure a secure election day
Nawaz Sharif wins Lahore seat
Geo News reported that PML(N)’s Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has won his seat with 1,71,024 votes.
After Thursday’s vote, analysts predicted that the PML-N would gain the most seats because its 74-year-old founder, Nawaz Sharif, has the support of the establishment, which is led by the military.
According to party spokesman Marriyum Aurangzeb, they remain optimistic about capturing Punjab, the largest province and necessary for establishing a government.
PPP’s Khalid Ahmed Khan Lund wins Ghotki’s NA-198
Meanwhile, the PPP seemed to be performing better than anticipated; its leader, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, described the initial results as “very encouraging”.
With 120,259 votes, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) candidate Khalid Ahmed Khan Lund defeated Ghotki’s NA-198, according to Dawn, which cited the Pakistan electoral board.
Election results uncertainty causes Pakistan SE to fall 1,700 points
Friday saw a 1,700-point decline in the benchmark KSE-100 index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange due to widespread uncertainty around the country’s general election outcomes. The election results are being announced slowly in Pakistan, and in an unexpected turn of events, independent candidates backed by jailed and disqualified former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party are leading the pack.
