Pak elections: Deal-making ahead; Khan, Sharif claim win

PAKISTAN faces a period of deal-making after election results showed no clear majority.

As final results still trickle in, independent candidates loyal to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan defied expectations to take the lead.

Both Khan and his main rival, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declare victory in the election.

The election was marred by violence by armed groups and a widely criticised suspension of mobile phone services that prompted accusations of “political engineering”.

According to an Al Jazeera tally based on the announced results so far, the voter turnout nationwide stands at about 43.4 per cent.

The figure is lower compared with the 2018 turnout, which was 51.1 per cent.

The former prime minister told a crowd in Lahore that his party would seek discussions to form a coalition government after failing to win an outright majority.

Army chief says Pakistan must move from ‘anarchy and polarisation’

The head of Pakistan’s powerful army has made his first public statement since Thursday’s vote.

“The nation needs stable hands and a healing touch to move on from the politics of anarchy and polarisation, which does not suit a progressive country of 250 million people,” said General Syed Asim Munir, according to a statement from the military.

“Elections are not a zero-sum competition of winning and losing but an exercise to determine the mandate of the people,” the statement quoted Munir as saying.

“Political leadership and their workers should rise above self-interests and synergise efforts in governing and serving the people, which is perhaps the only way to make democracy functional and purposeful.”

The military is a dominant player in the country’s political affairs and directly ruled it for more than three decades since 1947.

Here’s a quick recap

Both Khan and Sharif have claimed victory

Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) won the most seats by any party – 71 at the latest count.

But candidates affiliated with jailed Khan, who ran as independents instead of a single bloc after his party was barred from the polls, won the most seats overall – 91 at the latest count.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was third, with 51, with the rest won by small parties and other independents.

Sharif said PMLN would talk to other groups to form a coalition government.