US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that Washington looks forward to “complete results issued in a timely manner that reflect the will of the Pakistani people,” expressing his country’s concerns about the process.
Nawaz announces his victory
Earlier today, former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced his victory in the general elections, over his strong rival, imprisoned opposition leader Imran Khan.
Sharif stated that, despite this, his party did not obtain a clear majority in parliamentary seats, making it unable to form the government on its own.
Imran announces his victory
Former Pakistani Prime Minister and currently imprisoned Imran Khan announced his victory in the elections in an audio and video message published using artificial intelligence technology on his account on the X platform.
In the letter, which lawyers usually receive from him verbally, Khan rejected his rival Nawaz Sharif’s earlier claim of winning the elections. Khan called on his supporters to celebrate the victory achieved despite what he described as a crackdown on his party.
Independent candidates supported by Khan won the largest number of seats in the general elections that took place yesterday, Thursday, despite him being in prison and his party being banned from participating in the elections.
While the results of another 66 seats are awaited, and in the presence of a third important party, it is too early for any party to declare victory.
If no party wins an absolute majority, the party with the largest number of seats can seek to form a coalition government. But Pakistan’s deeply divided political climate is unlikely to lead to the formation of a ruling coalition to improve the country, which is grappling with high inflation rates, year-round power outages, as well as militant attacks.
Khan, a former cricketer turned politician with a huge following, was disqualified from running in Thursday’s elections due to a criminal conviction that he says was politically motivated. He was imprisoned in the run-up to the elections.
Khan’s party candidates ran as independents after the Supreme Court and Election Commission said they could not use the party’s symbol (a cricket bat).
In Pakistan, parties use symbols to help illiterate voters find the names of their candidates on ballot papers.
The PTI was unable to hold rallies or open campaign offices, and its online events were banned, steps it considered unfair.
The chief electoral commissioner said earlier that the results were due to be sent to a watchdog by early Friday and then released to the public.
But it only started happening in the middle of the day. The Ministry of Interior attributed the delay to “lack of communication” as a result of security precautions.
