Pakistan Election 2024: Poll Results Being Announced as 'Delay' Raises Eyebrows

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) began announcing the 2024 poll results as parties expressed concern over a delay, with no clear picture until the early hours of Friday regarding which party was leading the chart.

The ECP announced that PTI-backed candidates have won three seats for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly. The commission said that independent candidate Samiullah Khan won 18,888 votes according to results from 37.62 percent of the polling stations for PK-76, the Dawn reported.

As for PK-6, independent candidate Fazal Hakeem Khan took 25,330 votes. The two are PTI-backed candidates. “Samiullah Khan has been declared the winner from Peshawar’s PK-76,” ECP Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal said, according to the Dawn. ”The winner candidate in this (PK-6) is Fazal Hakeem Khan, an independent.” The Dawn reported that PTI-backed independent candidate Ali Shah has bagged Swat’s PK-4 constituency as per unofficial results from the Election Commission of Pakistan. He took 30,022 votes.

‘No clear picture till about 3 am’

The polls closed Thursday evening and ballot counting began but there was no clear picture till about 3 am from the ECP about which party was leading. As political parties complained about the delay and questioned the poll authority, the ECP directed all the provincial election commissioners and returning officers to announce the results within half an hour or else face strict action.

In a press release issued well past the midnight, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the electoral watchdog also said the statements being run by media channels regarding the ECP were not true. Former prime minister Imran Khan, the founding-chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf:, is behind bars and barred from contesting.

On Friday, UN chief Antonio Guterres urged political leaders and society segments to maintain a calm atmosphere as the results of the elections are being tabulated. The counting of votes began following the conclusion of the polling on Thursday. Despite polling concluding at 5 pm in the general elections, the nation is waiting for the results after more than seven hours have passed at midnight.

In a statement to the Associated Press of Pakistan, the Secretary-General said “As Pakistan awaits the results of the elections, I encourage all political leaders and society segments to maintain a calm atmosphere.” I continue to follow the situation in Pakistan closely, including the general elections that took place today, the UN chief said. I am also concerned about reports of incidents of violence and casualties, and the suspension of mobile communications services, he said.

(With agency inputs)