Pakistan: Independent Candidates Supported By Imran Khan's PTI Take Lead In Final Tally
On Sunday, Pakistan's election commission finalized the results of the February 8 general elections, revealing that independent candidates supported by imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party secured the largest portion of seats, winning 101 seats.
Meanwhile, nationwide protests erupted from Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) workers, alleging election rigging. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has disclosed the outcomes for 264 out of 265 contested seats. However, the result for NA 88 in Khushab, Punjab province, was withheld by the ECP due to reported fraud complaints. It will be announced following the resolution of these grievances. Additionally, the election for one seat was postponed due to the candidate's demise.
Independent candidates, the majority of whom were supported by Khan's PTI, won 101 seats in the National Assembly. On Sunday, a PTI party secretary announced via a post on social media platform X that general protests were called off. However, the secretary urged demonstrations at specific electoral offices where concerns regarding "forged" results persisted.
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Imran Khan's PTI led the tally with 101 seats, followed by Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with 75 seats, making it technically the largest party in Parliament. The Pakistan Peoples Party, led by Bilawal Zardari Bhutto, secured 54 seats, while the Karachi-based Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) garnered 17 seats, representing Urdu-speaking migrants from India during partition.
The remaining 12 seats were won by smaller parties. A party needs to secure 133 seats out of the 265 contested in the National Assembly to form a government. In total, 169 seats are required to achieve a simple majority out of the 336 seats in the National Assembly, including those reserved for women and minorities, which will be allocated later.
The complete results for the provincial assemblies of Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have been announced, but the outcomes for three constituencies in the Balochistan assembly are still pending. In Punjab, where 296 seats were contested, independents secured 138 seats, closely followed by PML-N with 137 seats, while other parties obtained 21 seats. In Sindh, out of the 130 contested seats, results for 129 were announced, with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ordering a re-poll in one constituency due to corruption allegations. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where 113 seats were up for grabs, results for 112 seats have been announced, with the outcome of one seat withheld.
