Pakistan Election: A PML-N And PPP Coalition Talks Are Underway While Imran Khan's Party Leads
Reportedly, both Imran Khan and Nawaz Sherif declared victory in the Pakistan general election, though the country’s election commission is yet to officially announce the final poll result. Imran Khan ‘s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf and Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) are falling short of majority, which point towards a fractured mandate. Latest report suggest that Imran Khan”s party has won 99 seats, while PML-N has won 71 and PPP has won 53 seats so far.
While Nawaz Sharif’s party has won the most seats by a single party, Imran Khan’s party, which supported independents, instead of running as a single bloc, has won most seats overall. Nawaz Sharif said his party is now talking with PPP (Pakistan People’s Party), which is led by Bhutto-Zardari family to form a coalition government as it has failed to bag clear majority.
Reports suggest that the PPP and PML-N agreed to work together to “achieve political and economical stability in the country”. The official announcement on the move is yet to come. According to media report, Former President Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met with ex-premier and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif in Lahore last night.
The delay in announcing results comes amid disruptions on polling day, including the suspension of mobile phone services nationwide amid reports of violence resulting in casualties. The Interior Ministry cited “lack of communication” due to security measures as contributing to the delay.
Considering the unusual delay in the declaration of election result, the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union have separately expressed their concerns about Pakistan’s electoral process and urged probe into the reported irregularities, said Reuters.
The general election in Pakistan took place on February 8. With a total of 265 seats in the Pakistan General Assembly, the next Prime Minister should win a simple majority of 169 votes in the National Assembly to be sworn in. The three main political contenders of the country are, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, which is led by Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), led by Imran Khan who is currently imprisoned, and Pakistan People’s Party, which is projecting former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto as Prime Minister candidate.
