Pakistan election results 2024 updates: Counting on but no clear winner yet
Ex-PM Nawaz Sharif claims victory despite trailing Imran Khan-backed independents as counting nears end.
This live page is now closed. You can follow Saturday’s coverage here.
This live page is now closed. You can follow Saturday’s coverage here.
- Former Pakistani prime ministers and bitter rivals Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan have both declared victory in the election.
- Independent candidates backed by Khan’s PTI win most seats in a strong show by the jailed leader.
- Sharif’s PMLN party emerges as the largest party in vote marred by delayed results and allegations of fraud.
- The polls were also marred by violence by armed groups and a widely criticised suspension of mobile phone services that prompted accusations of “political engineering”.
Tehran, US have exchanged messages in recent weeks: Iran minister
Iran and the United States have exchanged messages throughout Israel’s four-month-old war in Gaza, including about Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, the Iranian foreign minister has revealed.
“During this war and in the recent weeks, there was an exchange of messages between Iran and America,” Hossein Amirabdollahian said through a translator at a press conference in Beirut.
He said the US had asked Tehran to request Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, “not to get widely, fully involved in this war against” Israel.
It’s a wrap on this page
We are closing this page, but this doesn’t mean a stop to our continuing coverage of the Pakistan election.
You can read the latest developments here.
Latest results
- Independents (including those affiliated with the PTI) – 99
- PMLN – 71
- PPP – 53
- Others – 27
Announced: 250
Postponed: 1
Remaining: 15
Coalition gov’t will be weak, army ‘big loser’: Analyst
A US-based analyst says a coalition government in Pakistan will struggle to tackle multiple challenges, the foremost being seeking a new IMF bailout programme after the current arrangement expires in three weeks.
A coalition government “would probably be unstable, weak” and “the big loser … will be the army”, said Marvin Weinbaum, the director of Afghanistan and Pakistan Studies at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC.
“Because the army really has staked its reputation on its ability to deliver this vote.”
US politicians demand probe into poll fraud allegations
Several US politicians have demanded an investigation into allegations of rigging and fraud in the Pakistan election.
“I call on the State Department to refrain from recognising the results until credible, independent investigations have been conducted into the numerous allegations of misconduct,” US Congress member Ilhan Omar tweeted.
I am deeply troubled by reports of interference in this week's election in Pakistan. The legitimacy of any incoming government rests on fair elections, free of manipulation, intimidation, or fraud. The Pakistani people deserve nothing less than a transparent democratic process…
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) February 9, 2024
Representative Susan Wild said, “Now is the time for the international community to stand” with the people of Pakistan.
Congressman Ro Khanna said he was “deeply concerned by the growing evidence that the military is interfering and rigging the result to overturn the will of the Pakistani people”.
This is a critical moment for Pakistan.
I am deeply concerned by the growing evidence that the military is interfering and rigging the result to overturn the will of the Pakistani people.
The US should not recognize a winner until all the facts are investigated.
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) February 9, 2024
Coalition talks loom after strong show by Khan’s candidates
Candidates linked to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s political party are in the lead in Pakistan’s election, ahead of two dynastic parties believed to be favoured by the military, as vote counting enters its final leg.
In an AI-generated “victory speech” posted on X, Khan described the polls as an “unprecedented fightback from the nation” that resulted in the PTI’s “landslide victory” despite a crackdown on his party.
Meanwhile, another former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who heads the PMLN, said he would seek to form a coalition government after his party trailed the independent candidates backed by Khan.
Read more here.
Latest results: National Assembly
- Independents (including those affiliated with PTI) – 99
- PMLN – 70
- PPP – 52
- Others – 25
Announced: 246
Postponed: 1
Remaining: 19
Latest results from Balochistan province
Results have been announced from 44 seats in the 51-member assembly in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province.
No party has emerged as a clear winner, with the Pakistan People’s Party securing 11 seats, closely followed by PMLN at nine, and PTI-backed independents winning five.
A total of nine different parties have won at least one seat each.
Slender lead for PMLN in Punjab Assembly
Punjab’s Provincial Assembly has seen a hotly-contested vote, with the PMLN having a slender lead with 131 seats, while the independents, including PTI-affiliated candidates, have won 126.
Results from all but one seat in the 296-member assembly have been announced.
The Pakistan People’s Party has also made gains in the province, winning 10 seats.
PTI sweeps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly vote
Imran Khan’s PTI has won 90 of the 115 seats in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
None of its rivals managed to cross single digits, with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam winning seven seats, followed by five for Nawaz Sharif’s PMLN.
Results from one constituency have not yet come in.
PTI success ‘big surprise’ despite forces against it: Analyst
Ahsan Butt, associate professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, has called the success of PTI-affiliated candidates as “one of the biggest surprises” of the vote.
Butt told Al Jazeera the Pakistani state machinery had “set the stage” for PTI’s rivals to win the election.
“There were a lot of impediments in their way, but the PTI seems to have overcome those, which is an incredible achievement and testament to the popularity of its leader Imran Khan and the connection he has with the public,” he said.
Butt said there were “deep concerns” over the initial delay in announcing the results, which signalled “something nefarious was afoot”, adding that it could “quite significantly” lead to more political instability.
“The public seems to have spoken, quite explicitly, about who they trust Pakistan’s leadership with and it is Khan. Continuing to suppress his party and his voters by denying their popular mandate will only lead to further instability,” he said.
Latest results
- Independents (including those affiliated with the PTI) – 99
- PMLN – 69
- PPP – 52
- Others – 25
Announced: 245
Postponed: 1
Remaining: 20
Rivals claim victory as counting nears end
With results from just 24 seats of 266-member National Assembly now outstanding, political manoeuvring begins to form the next government. At least 134 seats are needed for a simple majority.
PTI-backed candidates have won 98 seats while Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), has secured 67. In a speech earlier on Friday, Sharif claimed victory and invited allies.
Hours later, Imran Khan released an AI-generated “victory speech” video from jail, calling Sharif a “petty man” and saying no Pakistani would accept his claim of victory.
Later in the evening, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, chairperson of Pakistan People’s Party, which has so far won 51 seats, arrived in Lahore with his father Asif Ali Zardari to meet the PMLN leadership.
WATCH: Concerns over ballot discrepancies
How the world has reacted to the election results
The UK, US and EU have raised concerns about alleged election irregularities, with Washington and Brussels calling for the authorities to conduct an investigation.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani “wished the brotherly, friendly and neighbourly country of Pakistan increasing prosperity”.
Read more about how the world has reacted here.
Latest results
- Independents (including those affiliated with the PTI) – 98
- PMLN – 67
- PPP – 51
- Others – 25
Announced: 241
Postponed: 1
Remaining: 24
What Imran Khan said in ‘victory speech’
In an AI-generated message to supporters, Khan said the massive turnout of PTI supporters in Thursday’s election “shocked everyone”.
He decried PMLN leader Nawaz Sharif as a “petty man”, adding: “No Pakistani will accept him” or his claim of victory.
“International media is also commenting on this stupidity,” he said, alleging widespread vote rigging.
“My fellow Pakistanis, you have made history. I am proud of you, and I give thanks to God for uniting the nation,” Khan said.
“Now, no one can stop us. Lastly, do not worry, celebrate, and give thanks to God. Despite two years of oppression and injustice, we won the election with a two-thirds majority,” he added.
“Everyone has seen the strength of your vote, now be prepared to protect your vote.”
Imran Khan releases AI ‘victory speech’ video
The speech, posted on Khan’s X account, described the vote as an “unprecedented fightback from the nation that resulted in PTI’s landslide victory”.
With Khan in jail and PTI members facing a crackdown, the party had previously turned to AI to reach its supporters.
Independent candidates, most backed by the PTI, have won 97 seats so far in National Assembly out of 241 that have been announced. Results are due for 24 more seats.
Chairman Imran Khan's victory speech (AI version) after an unprecedented fightback from the nation that resulted in PTI’s landslide victory in General Elections 2024. pic.twitter.com/Z6GiLwCVCR
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) February 9, 2024
WATCH: Ex-PM Nawaz Sharif seeks allies
Risk of more violence as fears of vote rigging mount
This has already ended up in the streets in some areas. We understand that two people have been killed because of the violence in northwestern Pakistan following these elections and around 20 people were injured.
When we’ve been on the streets of Lahore, people have been openly saying that there’s been vote rigging taking place, there’s been discrepancies.
Some of the forms coming out from those polling stations show that there are in fact discrepancies and there is a real fear among people that if their votes are not respected, in terms of reflecting who they voted for, then that frustration could boil over into the streets, like we’ve already seen in some places.
Latest results
- Independents (including those affiliated with the PTI) – 97
- PMLN – 66
- PPP – 51
- Others – 24
Announced: 238
Postponed: 1
Remaining: 27
Khan’s PTI to make ‘important announcement’
Imran Khan’s party says it will make the announcement at 11:30pm local (18:30 GMT).
This comes as independents, including those backed by the PTI, have so far won 97 seats in the National Assembly, the most of any group.
Full results are expected later in the night.
Latest results from provincial assemblies
In the politically crucial Punjab province, the PMLN has won 144 of 297 seats while the PTI-backed independents have clinched 130.
In the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the PTI is in clear lead. In the southern Sindh province, the PPP has won a majority of provincial assembly seats.
In southwestern Balochistan – the country’s largest province in terms of land but smallest in population – a coalition government is expected as no party has won seats required for a simple majority.
Latest results
- Independents (including those affiliated with the PTI) – 96
- PMLN – 66
- PPP – 51
- Others – 23
Announced: 236
Postponed: 1
Remaining: 29