The party of Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister won the most seats in Pakistan’s parliamentary elections this week in a resounding rebuke of the country’s military leaders.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), backed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was jailed last month, won 97 seats in Pakistan’s National Assembly, its lower house, the country’s electoral commission reported on Saturday. according to the New York Times. .
The military-backed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) led by three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif won at least 73 seats, the commission said.
Seven seats were missing, confirming the PTI’s majority in parliament.
It is the first time in Pakistan’s history that a party has been so successful in an election without the backing of the country’s influential military generals, and it has sparked political turmoil, according to the Times.
Both Khan and Sharif declared victory for their parties on Friday following Thursday’s general election, raising uncertainty over who will form the next government in the troubled country.
A senior Khan aide said on Saturday that the PTI plans to form a government and urged its supporters to protest peacefully if the final election results are not published.
A portrait of former Prime Minister Imran Khan REUTERS
PTI president Gohar Khan, who also acts as the former prime minister’s lawyer, called on “all institutions” in Pakistan to respect his party’s mandate. If the final results were not published by Saturday night, he would call for protests on Sunday.
The PTI does not have enough candidates to form a simple majority on its own.
Sharif said on Friday that his party had become the largest group and that he would talk to other groups to form a coalition government.
Election officials count ballots during the general election in Karachi, Pakistan. REUTERS
“Today we are inviting everyone to rebuild this wounded Pakistan and sit with us,” he said in a speech in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, according to the Times.
Khan’s supporters ran as independents because the electoral commission had banned the party from participating in the polls for failing to comply with electoral laws.
Despite the ban, and Khan’s convictions preventing him from holding office, millions of the former cricketer’s loyal fans turned out en masse to cast their vote for him.
However, under Pakistan’s electoral laws, independent candidates are not eligible to be allocated reserved seats, 70 of which must be distributed according to party strength.
Sharif’s party could win up to 20 of these seats.
Police officers stand guard during a protest by supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party REUTERS
The military was reportedly expecting an easy victory for the PMLN, according to the Times.
Khan was forced to leave office in 2022 following a parliamentary vote of no confidence amid several scandals.
Last month, Khan was sentenced to 10 years in prison by Pakistan’s military leaders for leaking state secrets.
The next day, he and his wife Bushra Khan were sentenced to 14 years in prison each in a case involving the illegal sale of state gifts.
According to the verdict, Khan is banned from holding public office for 10 years.
Thursday’s vote revealed that Khan’s reaction against the military resonated with Pakistanis, especially young voters, according to the New York Times. Old military tactics of demoralizing voters through arrests and long prison sentences for opposition supporters proved ineffective.
On Friday night, Khan’s party released a victory speech using a computer-generated voice to simulate that of Khan, who has been jailed since August.
“I congratulate you all on your victory in the 2024 elections. I had full confidence that you would all come out and vote,” the AI-generated voice said. “Their massive participation has surprised everyone.”
With pole cables
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Source: vtt.edu.vn