Khan-Backed Independents Lead in Final Poll Count in Pakistan, Reports Reuters

By Charlotte Greenfield and Ariba Shahid

ISLAMABAD – The final results of Pakistan’s national election indicate that independent candidates, supported by imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, have secured 93 of the 264 seats in the National Assembly.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led by another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, came in second with 75 seats. While neither party achieved a clear majority, PML-N remains the largest single party in parliament, as Khan’s supporters contested the elections as independents.

As coalition negotiations commenced and protests erupted in the northern regions, uncertainty loomed over who would form the next government. The election commission released the official vote count more than 60 hours after polls closed, prompting scrutiny regarding the delay.

Both Khan and Sharif, longstanding political adversaries, have declared victory, adding to the instability as Pakistan faces multiple pressing issues, including negotiations for a new program with the International Monetary Fund to stabilize its struggling economy.

A candidate for the position of prime minister must secure a simple majority of 169 seats within the National Assembly when the new parliament convenes in the coming days. This figure will be influenced by coalition negotiations and whether Khan-supported candidates can align with a smaller parliamentary party to form a united bloc and claim reserve seats.

PROTESTS AND COMMUNICATION ISSUES

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party had earlier warned of nationwide protests if the vote count was not disclosed promptly. Although large-scale demonstrations were called off, many PTI supporters managed to block traffic in the northern city of Peshawar.

A motorist described their predicament, stating, "We are stuck here on the road as the PTI workers had closed the motorway as a protest."

According to anonymous police sources, about 300 PTI supporters blocked a key highway connecting Peshawar to the capital. Pakistan’s interim government cited communication disruptions due to a mobile internet outage on election day as a reason for the delay in vote counting. This outage, enacted for security concerns, raised alarms among human rights organizations and foreign governments alike.

On social media, a PTI official called for protests at electoral offices, expressing concerns over alleged "forged" results. Approximately 93 of the independent candidates who won seats were affiliated with Khan’s PTI.

WINNING DESPITE BARRIERS

Khan’s supporters contested as independents after being barred by the election commission on technical grounds from running under the party’s electoral symbol. Despite the obstacles and Khan’s imprisonment on a variety of charges, millions of his supporters turned out to vote for him, despite his inability to hold any governmental position while incarcerated.

One of the challenges the independents face in forming a government is their ineligibility for parliament’s 70 reserved seats, which are allocated based on party affiliation and strength. Meanwhile, Sharif’s party could potentially obtain as many as 20 of those seats.

A spokesperson for Sharif’s party announced a meeting with representatives from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), a smaller regional party, indicating their collective intention to collaborate for the country’s greater good, although no formal coalition agreement was reached.

The election commission noted that results for two specific seats are still pending—one due to the unfortunate death of a candidate, necessitating a postponement of the election for that seat, and another where polling will occur later this month.