Daily Times

Despite polling concluding at 5pm in the general elections on Thursday, the nation was waiting for the results passed midnight. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had not given any reason leading to expression of suspicions from contesting parties.

State TV, private channels, and local media initiated the process of announcing results, but progress was slow, with results from certain constituencies in Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa still pending.

Although results were coming in from interior Sindh, the results in the provincial capital and the country’s largest city, Karachi, were emerging at a slow pace. Similarly, in the largest province of the country, Punjab, results were also being received slowly. Concerns and reservations have been expressed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf regarding this delay.

However, according to unofficial results, independent candidates were on course to win big as preliminary results of the 2024 general elections began to emerge from various national and provincial constituencies as the vote count commenced in the evening following the conclusion of day-long polling across the country.

Projections of first results indicate that no party could attain an outright majority, although political bigwigs, including, Asif Zardari, Shehbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto were gradually widening the margin of victory against their contestants. Bilawal was also winning from Larkana’s NA-194 according to preliminary unofficial results.

Similarly, former president and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari was set to secure a comfortable win from Shaheed Benazirabad’s NA-207 constituency. In the intricate landscape of the National Assembly, the magic number for political supremacy is a straightforward 169 seats for securing simple majority out of the 336 total seats, which include reserved slots for women and minorities.

This uncomplicated majority is the golden ticket that political parties aim to secure to wield influence in the legislative powerhouse.

The National Assembly boasts a total of 266 seats, with 265 dedicated to general representation. However, a hiccup in the electoral process arose when the polling for one seat had to be postponed due to the unfortunate demise of a candidate. This incident brought the effective count down to 265 at present.

For those keeping score, a party aspiring to clinch a simple majority needs to secure precisely 169 seats. This means having the backing of more than half of the available seats, allowing them to steer the course of legislative decisions in their favour.

It is important to note that the significance of these numbers transcends mere mathematics; it represents the power dynamic that can shape the future course of the nation. With the focus on the clear-cut goal of 169 seats, political maneuvers and strategies intensify as parties jockey for position in the race for control.

Separately, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja congratulated entire nation for the peaceful conduct of elections 2024. The CEC also expressed gratitude to Almighty for guiding the commission in fulfilling its constitutional responsibility.

In his message to the nation, Sikandar Sultan Raja commended the stakeholders, government bodies at national and provincial levels, political parties, security agencies, law enforcement agencies, civil administration, Pakistan Army, media outlets, voters, returning officers, presiding officers, and polling staff, to fulfil their duty diligently and efficiently.

The CEC appreciated all the institutions including supervisory national and provincial governments, political parties, security agencies, police and civil administration, Pakistan Army, national media, voters, returning officers, presiding officers and other polling officers, for holding general elections in a peaceful environment and befitting manner.

In addition to the staff, he also expressed gratitude to the esteemed members of the Election Commission, colleagues, and his team, whose dedicated efforts round-the-clock, contributed to the successful fulfilment of this significant responsibility.