Oct 16 by-polls: Imran Khan-led PTI wins majority of seats in all three provinces
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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and his party have won a majority of seats in the by-elections held on eight National Assembly and three Punjab Assembly seats on Sunday, Aaj News reported.
According to unofficial results, of eight NA seats, PTI chairman Imran Khan contested the election on seven seats and won six of them. Similarly, of three Punjab Assembly seats, PTI candidates have won two and lost one. The PPP won the remaining two NA seats, while the PML-N could secure only one Punjab Assembly seat.
While the former leader will have to resign from all but one of the seats he won -- and elections will happen again -- the sweeping victory shows popular support for his political narrative in the nation of more than 220 million. The former cricket star, who was ousted from power through a no-confidence vote in April, has been holding massive rallies across Pakistan to push for early elections.
"I ask the government and the establishment to respect the will of the masses and immediately announce fresh elections in the country," Fawad Chaudhry, a senior leader of Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, said in a tweet. "We are ready to discuss the election framework with the government."
The political drama comes as Shehbaz Sharif's government grapples with economic distress. Moody's downgraded the nation's credit rating and Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves have dipped to the lowest levels in three years. Devastating floods earlier this year have also added to the crisis.
However, it's unlikely that Khan's win will push Sharif's administration, which has earlier categorically rejected the idea of an early general election, to reconsider. The markets didn't react much to the results and the rupee opened little changed.
Sunday's vote came after all 131 lawmakers from Khan's party resigned from parliament's lower house in April following the change in government. Elections for those seats are being held in phases. While a sweeping win will embolden Khan and his supporters, his current spate of legal woes may put a brake on his political ambitions.
The Election Commission has said Khan's party received illegal foreign funds from the US, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates. The PTI party has denied the charge and is appealing the order.
