By 
15-02-2024
Angelique van der Burgh
Pakistan Researcher,
Global Human Rights Defence.
On February 8th, 60.6 million Pakistanis voted for the country’s new parliament [1]. The elections have been of interest to the international community as observers question the extent to which the elections will be safe, free, and fair. The United States (US) and European Union (EU) have both expressed concerns about the legitimacy of the elections [1]. They fear the elections may have been manipulated. In response to these concerns, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, has reiterated the elections were free, fair, and abiding by Pakistan’s constitutional requirements regarding elections [1].
The concerns of outside observers such as the US and the EU were heightened when the results of the elections were announced. The elections did not result in a clear majority for any party [2]. Instead, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party (PTI) was able to secure 93 seats in parliament [2]. However, this raised further concerns regarding who would be the country’s president. The PTI is the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is unable to run and act as Prime Minister [3]. The PTI has proactively responded by nominating Omer Ayub as a candidate for Prime Minister [3]. The elections and tensions preceding it created a challenging environment for Pakistan. However, now Pakistan is faced with forming a coalition and appointing a Prime Minister in a still challenging and turbulent political environment.
Sources and further readings:
[1] Momand, A. (2024, February 15). Pakistan’s electoral process internal sovereign affair, FO says. DAWN. https://www.dawn.com/news/1814420/pakistans-electoral-process-internal-sovereign-affair-fo-says. Accessed February 16th, 2024.
[2] Hussain, A. (2024, February 13). Pakistan election: PTI joins religious parties, PPP backs rival PMLN. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/13/pakistan-election-pti-joins-religious-parties-ppp-backs-rival-pmln#:~:text=In%20Thursday. Accessed February 16th, 2024.
[3] Imran picks Omar Ayub as PTI’s candidate for prime minister, Mian Aslam Iqbal as Punjab CM. (2024, February 15). DAWN. https://www.dawn.com/news/1814432/imran-picks-omar-ayub-as-ptis-candidate-for-prime-minister-mian-aslam-iqbal-as-punjab-cm. Accessed February 16th, 2024.
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