Nawaz Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), waves as he arrives to cast his vote at a polling station in Lahore yesterday. RIGHT: Supporters of politician and former cricketer Imran Khan flash victory signs as they take part in a rally in Islamabad.
ISLAMABAD: Nawaz Sharif, known to his supporters as the ‘Lion’, declared victory in a jubilant speech as results from yesterday’s election showed a clear lead for his party, making it almost certain that he will become prime minister of the country for a third time.
The election, in which 86 million people were eligible to vote, will bring the first transition between civilian governments in a country that has been ruled by the military for more than half of its turbulent history. Despite attacks that killed at least 24 people, millions turned out to cast a ballot.
“Results are still coming in, but this much is confirmed: we’re the single largest party so far,” he declared to hoots of joy from the crowd. “Please pray that by morning we’re in a position that we don’t need the crutch of coalition partners.”
The crowd shouted “prime minister Nawaz Sharif” and chanted “lion”, Sharif’s nickname, as they danced and waved flags and toy tigers, the party’s election symbol.
With the count continuing into the night, Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was leading in 119 of the 272 National Assembly seats that were contested. The party of his main rival, cricket star Imran Khan, whose promises to end corruption struck a chord with middle-class and youth, conceded defeat overall but vowed to form the next provincial government in the northwest.
Both Sharif and Khan won seats they had contested in, but Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which had promised a “tsunami” of support sweeping him into the premiership, quickly conceded defeat. The PPP led the government for the past five years with 124 lawmakers in parliament. Eight hours after polling stations closed it was ahead in the count for just 34 seats.
More than 86 million people were eligible to vote for the 342-member national assembly and four provincial assemblies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan. An election commission spokesman said turnout was expected to be up to 60 percent, which would make it the highest since 1977.
It remains to be seen, however, if Sharif’s PML-N will have enough lawmakers to rule on its own or be forced to seek coalition allies.
Reuters/AFP
