Pakistan elections 2024: Count under way after controversial election
After the voting is over in Hyderabad, the workers in charge of polling are in the process of counting the ballots.
Pakistan is currently tallying up votes from the general election that took place on Thursday. However, the election was not without its problems as there were widespread disruptions due to the suspension of mobile phone services and violent outbursts.
The release of the results has been taking a long time, causing the officials responsible for the election to caution the local officials to quicken the pace.
The political group affiliated with Imran Khan, who is disqualified and currently incarcerated, alleges that the postponement of the election is an indication of electoral fraud.
As of now, according to preliminary results aired on television networks, it appears that individuals aligned with Khan are currently ahead in the race.
Khan was imprisoned for corruption allegations in the previous year. As a result, he was unable to run in the election held on Thursday. The party he leads, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), had to present their candidates as individuals without political affiliation.
They were facing off against the political group connected to a past Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif. The head of this group is Sharif's younger brother, Shehbaz, who took over as president of his Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz party (PML-N) two years ago after Khan was removed from his position due to a no-confidence vote.
A great number of 128 million individuals were recorded as eligible to vote, with almost half of them being below the age of 35. Over 5,000 competitors, with only 313 women, participated in the elections for 266 seats that are directly chosen within the National Assembly that has a total of 336 members.
Many people have been greatly affected by the economic troubles in the nation, which were made worse by the destructive floods in 2022. The cost of living has increased dramatically and individuals are having difficulty managing their finances. Additionally, there has been an increase in violent incidents.
According to Reuters news agency, the expected outcomes are taking longer than usual to reveal themselves. In past elections, the leading political party was typically apparent by midnight local time (19:00 GMT) on the day of the election, however, the current results have been slower to emerge.
Zafar Iqbal, who holds the position of special secretary at the Election Commission of Pakistan, attributed the delay to a problem with the internet. This statement was made by him after he declared the initial official outcomes for a particular district.
Even though the results were coming in slowly, leaders from PTI expressed confidence that they were still on track to win. Meanwhile, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of the late Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated while serving as Prime Minister, shared that the initial results for his party, PPP, were positive and he felt encouraged.
People who support Khan are already having celebrations in Peshawar.
Previously, authorities declared that mobile services were halted due to deliberate attacks that intended to interfere with the election. The military reported that as a result of these attacks, a minimum of nine individuals lost their lives.
Just 10 minutes before voting opened on Thursday, both phone calls and data services were disrupted. Despite the apparent functioning of wifi networks, the blackout on internet services made it difficult for many voters in Lahore to organize their transportation to polling stations or communicate with their families about when they would be heading to vote. Several individuals reported being unable to book taxis and others complained about not being able to coordinate with their loved ones.
The PTI referred to the internet shutdown as a display of cowardice. This had a negative impact on voters who found it difficult to locate their polling stations. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also expressed disapproval of the shutdown and demanded a swift restoration of services.
Previously, the nation has restricted internet access as a means of managing the spread of information. However, suspending internet services to this extent is unheard of, particularly during an electoral process.
Pakistan has a past of militant attacks, but during voting day, only certain cases of violence were reported. The most severe occurred in Dera Ismail Khan located in the northern region, where a bomb detonated on a vehicle, resulting in the death of four police officials.
Before the vote, PML-N and PPP were regarded as the primary political parties. Choosing potential representatives from Khan's PTI was a challenge since the party was prohibited from utilizing the cricket bat emblem, which all of its candidates campaigned on.
The decision caused candidates supported by PTI to switch to alternative symbols, such as calculators, electric heaters, and dice since they could no longer use their previous symbols. In a nation with over 40% of the population being illiterate, these electoral symbols have a significant impact.
The vote papers had images such as polar bears and peacocks on them.
The PTI claim that they were obstructed from campaigning and securing seats through various means, such as detaining members and supporters and prohibiting them from organizing public gatherings, leading them to operate discreetly.
Last week, Imran Khan received jail terms totaling up to 14 years for three different cases. The PTI has accused Pakistan's dominant military of meddling in the matter. The military and Khan had a falling out prior to Khan's removal and incarceration, as per the claims.
However, individuals had the opportunity to cast their vote for Nawaz Sharif, the head of PML-N, during the previous election. This transpired while he was in the beginning stages of serving a sentence for corrupt activities.
In 1999, a military coup removed Mr Sharif from office, and in 2017, his third term as prime minister was abruptly ended. However, he has since returned from a self-imposed exile.
At the conclusion of last year, he successfully had his lifetime prohibition on holding public office removed and his criminal history expunged. As a result, he now has the ability to run for a record-breaking fourth term.
for election. Nawaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto have the ability to be candidates, but unfortunately, Imran Khan is detained and unable to participate in the election.
