Recount of votes begins in constituencies across Pakistan

Citizens from across Pakistan cast their votes on July 25, 2018 in the second democratic shift of power. Photo: File
The re-tabulation of votes in different constituencies across the country began on Saturday.

Returning Officer of NA-129 has summoned the winning candidate, PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq for a recount of votes for the constituency.

Sadiq received 103,021 votes from NA-129 Lahore 7 constituency to win a seat in the National Assembly. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Abdul Aleem Khan was the runner-up, trailing behind Sadiq with 94,879 votes.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s leader Sardar Ayaz Sadiq won a seat in the National Assembly from his constituency NA-129 Lahore 7. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Abdul Aleem Khan was the runner-up, trailing behind Sadiq with 94,879 votes. Photo: File
Pakistan’s prominent political parties rejected the outcome of elections won by the Imran Khan-led PTI. The All Parties Conference (APC) announced protests demanding new polls after foreign observers criticised the pivotal vote over rigging allegations.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) also accepted PML-N leader and former railways minister Khawaja Saad Rafique’s petition for a recount.

Recounting is also being carried out for Faisalabad’s NA-108 and NA-106 constituencies, and Multan’s NA-154 and NA-157 constituencies.

The announcement by APC, including the outgoing PML-N, is a fresh obstacle to power for Khan after delayed results finally showed he had won an emphatic victory — though he will need to seek a coalition to form a government.

The nationwide polls held Wednesday have been criticised by the United States, the European Union (EU), and other observers after widespread claims that the playing field was fixed in Khan’s favour.

PPP rejects election process, claims polls were not free and fair

While some have dubbed it "Pakistan’s dirtiest election,” Khan’s victory, for now, represents an end to decades of rotating leadership between the PML-N and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) that was punctuated by periods of military rule.

The PML-N and other parties have alleged "blatant” rigging over the vote count. "We think a robbery has been committed,” Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman, the head of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) party had told reporters.

‘Systematic effort’
The vote was meant to be a rare democratic transition in the country but was marred by violence and allegations of interference in the months leading up to the vote, with Khan seen as the beneficiary.

The US said it was concerned about "flaws” in the pre-electoral process, but was ready to work with the new government.

US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said Washington agreed with the EU’s observation that "positive changes to the legal framework for elections in Pakistan” were eclipsed by "restrictions on freedom of expression and unequal campaign opportunities.”