Imran’s party scouts for coalition partners
PTI DECLARED WINNER BUT EU VOICES CONCERN OVER POLL PROCESS
It’s official: Pakistan’s Election Commission yesterday declared former cricket star Imran Khan’s party the winner of country’s historic third consecutive election of a civilian government, but he didn’t win an outright majority and must form a coalition.
With nearly two days elapsing since the counting of poll results began, Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has retained its considerable edge over its contenders, bagging 117 of the total 270 seats to which elections were held. A party needs at least 137 seats to cross the half-way mark in the 272-member National Assembly. Since voting was not held in two constituencies, the effective strength of the House was brought down to 270 — which means Khan needs at least 136 members.
According to reports the PTI led by Khan is scouting for partners to form the government. The reports said the PTI has established its first contacts with 20 independents and is confident of getting their support to pave the way for Khan to take the helm of the nation battling severe economic and security crises.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)-Pakistan, which has won six seats, has also agreed to support Khan, according to Dawn.
Meanwhile, the EU expressed concern over a “notable lack in equality of opportunity” in Pakistan’s election, which was “not as good” as the country’s previous vote, according to observers who presented a preliminary assessment yesterday.
The EU’s chief observer Michael Gahler noted a “systematic effort to undermine the former ruling party” throughout the campaign, though he avoided naming any culprits. “Our assessment of the election concludes that the electoral process 2018 is not as good as that of 2013,” Gahler told reporters in Islamabad, referring to the previous election, which was Pakistan’s first ever democratic transfer of civilian power.
“It is our assessment that despite positive changes to the legal framework ... and a stronger and more transparent Election Commission, the electoral process of 2018 was negatively affected by the political environment,” he said.
“A number of violent attacks targeting political parties, party leaders, candidates and election officials, severely affected the campaign environment.”
Demand for new elections
A group of Pakistani political parties announced yesterday a protest demanding new elections following allegations of rigging in the nationwide polls.
“We will run a movement for holding of elections again. There will be protests,” said Maulana Fazalur Rehman from the All Parties Conference, which included outgoing ruling party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
Pakistan’s former ruling party Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PMLN) conceded defeat to cricket star-turnedpolitician Imran Khan ahead of final results from the country’s disputed election, which European Union (EU) monitors said on Friday had not been fought on a level playing field.
Khan, during a speech declaring victory on Thursday, offered to investigate opposition allegations of vote-rigging and said he wanted to “unite” the country under his leadership.
The party of jailed ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif initially rejected the so far incomplete results, but by Friday its leaders appeared to accept that Khan would be the next prime minister.
“We are going to sit on opposition benches, despite all the reservations,” said Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, a parliamentarian and the nephew of Nawaz Sharif, who is in prison after being convicted on corruption charges he disputes.
The allegations of rigging in Wednesday’s election followed a bitter campaign in which Pakistan’s powerful military was accused of tilting the race in favour of Khan, and trying to erase democratic gains made since the most recent spell of military rule ended in 2008.
The EU Election Observation Mission, in its preliminary findings, said the electoral process was “not as good” as the 2013 election and campaign week featured a “lack of equality” that meant it was not a level playing field for all parties.
“Many of our interlocutors acknowledged a systematic effort to undermine the former ruling party through cases of corruption, contempt of court and terrorist charges against its leaders and candidates,” chief EU observer Michael Gahler told a news conference. The mission included 120 observers who visited 582 polling stations in all the provinces except Balochistan.
Gahler said EU observers had not witnessed any military interference in polling stations they assessed.
“On election day, polling was assessed as well conducted and transparent,” he said. “However, counting was somewhat problematic with staff not always following the procedures.” He added later: “The credibility or the legitimacy of this process, that is for the people of Pakistan.”
Although Khan appeared likely to fall short of the 137 seats needed for a majority in the National Assembly, his better-than-expected results mean he should have no problems forming a government with a handful of small coalition partners.
First tasks
One of the first tasks for Khan, once he forms the government, will be to avert a currency crisis, following four devaluations of the rupee currency since December, which will likely require Islamabad to seek Pakistan’s second International Monetary Fund bailout since 2013. The latest Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) official partial results showed Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), or Pakistan Movement for Justice party, had won 115 seats out of the National Assembly has 272 seats in total. The commission was expected to announce full results later yesterday.
Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had 62 seats, the results showed. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of assassinated twotime prime minister Benazir Bhutto, was third with 43 seats.
“(PML-N) would play the role of a strong opposition,” said Shahbaz Sharif, the PMLN president and brother of Nawaz Sharif, according to the English-language Dawn newspaper.
Khan’s party also appears to have succeeded in wresting control of the local assembly in Pakistan’s biggest province, Punjab, from the Sharifs.
The News newspaper and other local media reported PML-N was unlikely to form the government in Punjab, home to more than half of Pakistan’s 208 million people and the power base of the Sharif family for more than three decades.
Shahbaz Sharif has said the vote count was rigged and vowed to offer evidence to the ECP.