Pakistan Election Update: Coalition Talks and Future Prospects

^{Image Source: NDTV}

The Election Commission of Pakistan has not yet released the official election results. However, unofficial trends reported by the Pakistani media have spurred political parties in the divided nation to engage in talks and consider forming coalitions to establish a new government. Nevertheless, the situation appears distinct for the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

In the Pakistan Election, elections were conducted for 265 seats in the national assembly. One seat’s election was deferred due to the demise of a candidate. A political party requires 133 seats to achieve a simple majority. In total, 169 seats are necessary to secure a simple majority out of the total 336 seats, inclusive of reserved slots for women and minorities.

There are three main parties contested: Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Leaders of PTI contested as independent candidates following rulings from Pakistan’s Supreme Court and the Election Commission, which barred them from using the party symbol, a cricket bat.

Who is winning the Pakistan Elections?

As for the outcome of the Pakistan Elections, according to Pakistani media, Dawn’s results from 245 out of the total 265 National Assembly constituencies were announced by late Friday. The outcomes revealed independent candidates, predominantly supported by Imran Khan, leading with 99 seats. PML-N and PPP secured 69 and 52 seats, respectively. These two parties were poised to secure most of the 70 reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in the assembly, as per the report.

Who will constitute the new government in Pakistan?

Nawaz Sharif, aiming for a fourth term as prime minister, asserted that his party had become the largest winning party in the country following the polls. On Saturday, Geo TV reported that Sharif’s PML-N and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto have reached an agreement to establish a coalition government in both the Centre and Punjab. This decision was made despite both parties having previously led different alliances.

In the meantime, Geo TV reported that PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan asserted that President Arif Alvi would extend an invitation to his party (Imran Khan’s party) to form the government, citing their majority in the National Assembly.

What lies ahead for Imran Khan’s party?

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan also gave a “victory speech” on Saturday, highlighting the dominance of independent candidates supported by his party in the election results. Khan’s senior aide, as quoted by Reuters on Saturday, expressed their party’s intention to attempt forming a national government based on the highest number of seats secured in the polls.