The vote counting process begins at an electoral center in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad (Anatolia)

In Pakistan, the process of counting the votes of tens of millions of voters in the parliamentary elections that took place today, Thursday, has begun, amid expectations of the victory of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Polling stations were opened to choose 266 representatives in Parliament from among 5,121 candidates, and to choose 593 representatives in regional parliaments from among 12,695 candidates.

More than 128 million voters are entitled to participate in the 12th general parliamentary elections, and the next government will be formed by the party that receives the support of two-thirds of the representatives.

About 90,000 polling stations opened their doors to voters, while the Ministry of Interior announced the “temporary suspension of mobile phone services” throughout the country throughout the election day, citing security reasons.

These elections are taking place against the backdrop of security and political tensions, and it is expected that they will lead to Sharif assuming the presidency of the government for a fourth term, and his party, the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz Wing, winning most of the seats.

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, leader of the Tehreek-e-Insaf party, was absent from participating in the elections due to a judicial decision preventing him from practicing political work for 5 years.

Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that 48 people were killed, including security personnel, and dozens were injured, in violent incidents that took place on Thursday and during the past days.

High alert

Polls expected participation rates to be low after a lackluster election campaign overshadowed by the imprisonment of the former prime minister and the debate between his PTI party and the military establishment.

Hamza Shahbaz, Sharif's nephew and candidate for the National Legislative Council, said in the city of Lahore in eastern Pakistan that his party would win the majority.

Unless Sharif obtains a majority that enables him to rule, he will likely take power through a coalition with a partner or with more than one of the small parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party, a family party led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

The country is on high alert amid the deployment of the army to polling stations, tens of thousands of troops and paramilitary personnel have been deployed across Pakistan, and the borders with Iran and Afghanistan have been temporarily closed.

The Ministry of Interior said that it took these measures after at least 26 people were killed as a result of two explosions near the offices of electoral candidates in the southwestern province of Balochistan yesterday, and the Islamic State organization claimed responsibility for the two explosions.

The Ministry of Interior wrote on the X platform: “As a result of recent terrorist incidents in the country, precious lives have been lost, and security measures are necessary to maintain order, enforce the law, and deal with potential threats.”

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies