Bomber kills dozens as Pakistan votes

ISLAMABAD — After an election campaign overshadowed by violence and allegations of fraud, Pakistanis voted Wednesday for a new government that will face challenges of a crumbling economy and ongoing bloodshed by militants whose latest attack saw a suicide bomber kill 31 people outside a polling station.

The parliamentary balloting marked only the second time in Pakistan’s 71-year history that one civilian government has handed power to another in the country of 200 million people. There also have been widespread concerns during the election campaign about manipulation by the military, which has directly or indirectly ruled the country for most of its existence.

The leading contenders are Imran Khan, a former cricket star, and Shahbaz Sharif, the younger brother of disgraced Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has been jailed on corruption charges.

Early unofficial results give Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party a commanding lead over his main rival Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League, and Khan’s party headquarters in Islamabad was crowded with dancing followers who sensed a victory.

Charging widespread fraud, Shahbaz Sharif rejected election results when barely 50 percent of the ballots had been counted generating fears disgruntled losers could delay the formation of the next government.

“We will sweep the elections,” said Abdul Basit, a supporter of Khan’s, who watched the results on a large TV screen.

Hours after the polls opened, a suicide bomber on a motorcycle detonated his explosives in a crowd waiting to vote in the southwestern city of Quetta. In addition to the 31 dead, the attack wounded 35 people, said Dr. Jaffar Kakar, a hospital official. No one immediately claimed responsibility, but local officials were quick to blame the Islamic State group.

The attack in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, underscored the difficulties the majority Muslim nation faces on its wobbly journey toward sustained democracy.