Over 100 candidates in the Pakistani general elections, mostly independents, have raised objections to the results released so far, alleging manipulation during the vote counting process.
Among them is Muhammad Shoaib Shahin, a candidate for the federal parliament affiliated with former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Shahin stated to the media that he was leading by over 50,000 votes against his competitor Tariq Fazal Chaudhry until 11 p.m. last night, only to have the results change in favor of his opponent when announced this morning, Friday, for the parliamentary seat in Islamabad.
The Election Commission in Islamabad is still tallying the votes of the voters (Al Jazeera)
The spokesman for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, Rauf Hassan, accused the authorities of manipulating the election results, claiming that the votes were “stolen.”
Hassan told Al Jazeera that their party-backed candidates were leading from the beginning with significant margins throughout the night during the vote counting process. He added that the authorities deliberately delayed announcing the results in the early morning hours, then completely stopped the announcement for a few hours. The surprise came in the morning with a change in the results, showing a decline in the results of some affiliated with his party. He accused the authorities of tampering with the results and warned of the consequences.
By 3 p.m. local time in Pakistan, the Election Commission announced the results for 149 out of the 266 seats in the federal parliament, with the full results expected to be announced later today.
Employees at the Election Commission in Islamabad monitor election results (Al Jazeera)
Preliminary Results
Independents, mostly associated with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, won 61 seats.
On the other hand, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party, led by Nawaz Sharif, secured 48 seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party, led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, won 33 seats. The remaining parties collectively obtained 7 seats, with 124 seats still undergoing vote counting and awaiting the announcement of the winners.
Pakistan has faced several challenges in the past two years, including a severe economic crisis, political instability after the ousting of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in April 2022, and serious security threats. Violent incidents in various areas resulted in the death of over a thousand people in the past year.
The elections are expected to lead to the formation of a parliament and subsequently a government capable of addressing these challenges.
Observers and those concerned with Pakistani affairs suggest that if the elections do not result in a clear majority for any party, addressing the country’s multiple challenges will be difficult.
Stable Condition
In a press conference held in Islamabad this afternoon, Pakistani Interior Minister Johar Ijaz praised the electoral process, stating that it was conducted under generally secure conditions. He mentioned that the country only experienced limited incidents that were controlled and did not disrupt the election process overall.
He emphasized his interim government’s commitment to ensuring fair elections with results that are trustworthy, free from any manipulation.
Pakistani Interior Minister Johar Ijaz during a press conference today on the electoral process (Al Jazeera)
Concerns
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party spokesperson Rauf Hassan urged the Election Commission to ensure that there is no tampering with the results, stating, “we will not accept it otherwise.”
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party led by Nawaz Sharif was expected to win the most seats in the elections. Analysts indicate that the 74-year-old former Prime Minister “made an undisclosed deal with the army” to return to the premiership.
However, local television channels reported that the performance of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party in the elections was poor, with Nawaz Sharif himself trailing his competitor in the electoral district where he contested.
Polling stations opened yesterday to select 266 members of parliament from 5,121 candidates, and 593 lawmakers for regional parliaments from 12,695 candidates.
With over 128 million eligible voters participating in the 12th general parliamentary elections, the next government will be formed by the party that secures the support of two-thirds of the members.
