Pakistan is stunned as early election results look like a real race

Pakistani voters on Friday eagerly awaited the final results of a national election that has stunned many in the country by denying Pakistan's powerful military a widely expected landslide victory for its favored party.

That party, led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, remained the leader as preliminary totals trickled in a day after the vote. But the lingering uncertainty made clear that the military, long the guiding hand in Pakistani politics, had failed in its heavy-handed attempt to crush a rival party linked to another former prime minister, Imran Khan.

In Punjab, the country's most populous province, which accounts for more than half of the seats in parliament, many candidates in Mr. Sharif's party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, or PMLN, were neck-and-neck neck with those in Mr Sharif's party. Khan, a popular figure who has been in jail for months.

The tight races could be as close to an upset as possible in a country where the military is the ultimate authority. They reflected the deep, loyal support that Mr. Khan has built up power since being ousted by parliament in 2022, as well as his unique ability to outmaneuver the military's playbook by sidelining politicians who have fallen from grace.

While Pakistan's election commission had initially said the results would be announced early Friday morning, by afternoon officials had released the totals for only about 60 of the 266 seats in the National Assembly, or parliament's lower house.

The Interior Ministry attributed the delay to a “lack of connectivity” related to security measures. But leaders and supporters of Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), expressed concern that the delay could be a sign of bungling by the military.

“Any attempt to change the results overnight will be thwarted and will not be accepted at any cost by the people of Pakistan or the local and international observers and media,” said PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan. said on platform X.

Thursday's vote was marred by a suspension of cell phone service across the country. The Home Ministry attributed the disruptions to security concerns, while analysts said they were most likely an attempt to hinder the mobilization of PTI supporters.

It came after a months-long military campaign to neutralize Mr Khan and his party. PTI leaders and supporters were arrested en masse. The party was banned from using its iconic cricket bat symbol to identify its candidates on the ballot paper, a crucial visual cue for voters in a country with high illiteracy.

Mr Khan, a former cricket star turned populist politician, was arrested in August and given three prison terms for a variety of offenses just days before the election. He has been banned from holding public office for ten years.

Zia ur-Rehman reporting contributed.