Nothing is decided. Three blocs, including that led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, currently imprisoned, are neck and neck on Friday February 9 in the counting of seats for the elections in Pakistan, but the slowness of the count only made 'add to suspicions of manipulation.

As of 1:30 p.m. (8:30 a.m. GMT) – more than 20 hours after polling stations closed – the Election Commission of Pakistan had announced only 81 results out of 266 expected.

Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was not allowed to contest as a party in Thursday's elections. But the preliminary official results give 26 seats to independent candidates linked to the PTI for the legislative election, five more than the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) of the Sharif family, which was nevertheless the favorite of the election.

The Pakistan People's Party (PPP), of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, representing the country's other political dynasty, also did better than expected with 26 seats as well, according to the Election Commission.

Towards a coalition government?

If these results are confirmed, none of the three blocs seems able to obtain an absolute majority and govern alone. The winner will need to forge alliances to form a coalition government, with all options appearing open.

Nawaz Sharif, 74, who returned to Pakistan in October after four years of exile in London, would have the support of the army according to observers. A victory for his party could allow him to lead the country for the fourth time, provided it is convincing enough.

“The feeling of certainty (about the final outcome of the vote) disappeared quite early,” with candidates linked to the PTI doing better than expected, Sarah Khan, professor of political science at Yale University, told AFP , in the USA. "It's definitely not the predetermined conclusion that everyone was expecting," she said.

The campaign was marked by accusations of "pre-election fraud", with the sidelining of the popular Imran Khan, 71, sentenced to three long prison terms, and repression against his party.

Before the announcement of the first official results, PTI chief organizer Omar Ayub Khan expressed confidence that his party would be "able to form the next federal government with a two-thirds majority", in a statement. video to the media.

The PML-N, however, remains well placed to win the province of Punjab, the most populous in the country, underlined its spokesperson, Marriyum Aurangzeb.

The PML-N and the PPP had formed a coalition government, under the leadership of Shehbaz Sharif, the brother of Nawaz Sharif, after the ouster of Imran Khan from the post of Prime Minister by a motion of no confidence in April 2022.

The PPP then distanced itself from the PML-N during the campaign and seems to have suffered less from the unpopularity of this government. Its leader, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari – son of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, assassinated in 2007 – spoke of “very encouraging” results.

The National Assembly has 336 deputies, but 70 seats are reserved for women and religious minorities and allocated proportionally. As the PTI is not authorized to compete under its own colors, it cannot claim any of these additional seats.

“An effort is underway to falsify the results”

The Commission cited "Internet problems" to explain the slowness of the process.

“An effort is underway to falsify the results,” Raoof Hasan, PTI information officer, accused overnight. The party has continued to denounce manipulation throughout the electoral process.

“Fears of falsification of results and fraud are widespread and rightly so,” Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington, also observed on the social network

The authorities' shutdown of mobile telephone and Internet services for election day on Thursday further reinforced doubts about the fairness of the elections.

Imran Khan hoped to benefit, as during his election in 2018, from the mobilization of youth, thirsty for change after decades of domination by great family dynasties, deemed corrupt.

Read also Elections in Pakistan: parties redouble their efforts to attract young people

The former cricket star's anti-establishment posture explains why his popularity has remained intact, despite a stint in power marked by the deterioration of the economic situation. Imran Khan directly challenged the army, which ruled the country for decades and was nevertheless suspected of having supported it in 2018. He accused it of having orchestrated its fall in 2022 and attributed his legal troubles to it .

The vote was marred on Wednesday by the death of 28 people in two bomb attacks claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State, in the province of Balochistan (South-West).

The army said 51 attacks took place on Thursday, killing 12 people, including 10 members of the security forces.

With AFP

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