konga Ad Campaign konga Ad Campaign konga Ad Campaign
ADVERTISEMENT
  • The Membership Club
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • PT Hausa
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Premium Times Nigeria
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
      • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • #PandoraPapers
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
      • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • #PandoraPapers
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
Premium Times Nigeria
BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Pakistani cricket icon-turned-politician, Imran Khan. [Photo credit: myKhel]

Pakistani cricket icon-turned-politician, Imran Khan. [Photo credit: myKhel]

Pakistan’s Imran Khan inches closer to power

byAgency Report
July 26, 2018
3 min read

Pakistani cricket icon-turned-politician, Imran Khan, inched closer to power on Thursday after a general election that has been marred by long delays in ballot counting and claims of rigging by opponents.

With nearly half the votes counted from Wednesday’s election, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), or Pakistan Movement for Justice, was in a commanding lead in the nuclear-armed Muslim nation.

But supporters of jailed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the counting process was an assault on democracy in a country that has a history of military rule.

The stock market shot up nearly two per cent in early trading on relief the likely coalition government will not be a weak one.

Pakistan faces a mounting economic crisis that is likely to require a bailout by the International Monetary Fund, although PTI has not ruled out seeking succour from China, Islamabad’s closest ally.

Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) secretary, Babar Yaqoob, told reporters early on Thursday counting had been delayed by technical failures in an electronic reporting system and the tallying was now being conducted manually.

The results had been due by 2 a.m. (2100 GMT on Wednesday).

“There’s no conspiracy, nor any pressure in delay of the results. The delay is being caused because the result transmission system has collapsed,” Yaqoob said.

Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Raza also defended the process, saying “elections were 100 per cent transparent and fair”, but could not set an exact deadline when the full results would be released.

With 48 per cent of the total votes counted, Khan’s PTI was listed by the ECP in its provisional results as leading in 113 of 272 contested National Assembly constituencies.

Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was ahead in 64 constituencies, and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), led by the son of assassinated two-time prime minister Benazir Bhutto, led in 42 constituencies.

Khan’s party spokesman, Fawad Chaudhry, tweeted “Congratulations to the nation on a new Pakistan! Prime Minister Imran Khan”, although his party has officially held off on declaring victory.

Although Khan still appeared likely to fall short of the 137 seats needed for a majority in the National Assembly, he should not have problems finding coalition partners from smaller parties and independents.

Pakistan’s benchmark 100-share index, surged as much as 1.9 per cent to 42,136 points in early trading.

Analysts said investors were relieved Khan is now unlikely to have to rely on major opposition parties in a messy coalition.

“Now they can go ahead with smaller allies and make necessary reforms without much opposition,” said Saad Hashemy, local brokerage Topline Securities’ director of research.

Wednesday’s voting was marred by a suicide bombing that killed 31 people near a polling station in Quetta, capital of the southwestern province of Baluchistan. Islamic State claimed responsibility.

This election will mark only the second civilian transfer of power in Pakistan’s 71-year history, and comes at a time when relations with on-off ally the United States are volatile.

But campaigning has been plagued for months by allegations the powerful armed forces have been trying to tilt the race in Khan’s favor after falling out with the outgoing ruling party of Sharif, who was jailed on corruption charges this month.

The PML-N, which came to power in a landslide 2013 vote, had sought to cast the election as a referendum on democracy, saying it was campaigning to protect the “sanctity of the vote”, a reference to a history of political interference by the military.

Early on Thursday, Sharif’s brother Shehbaz, who now leads the PML-N, rejected the results after complaints that soldiers stationed in polling stations had thrown out poll monitors from political parties during the counting.

About 371,000 soldiers have been stationed at polling stations across the country, nearly five times the number deployed at the last election in 2013.

The PML-N and the PPP both said their monitors in many voting centers had not received the official notifications of the precinct’s results, but instead got hand-written tallies that they could not verify.

“It is a sheer rigging. The way the people’s mandate has blatantly been insulted, it is intolerable,” Shehbaz told a news conference as the counting continued.

“We totally reject this result,” he said. “It is a big shock to Pakistan’s democratic process.”

The PPP also complained that its polling agents were asked to leave during the vote count in a number of voting centers.

“This is the warning bell of a serious threat,” said PPP senator Sherry Rehman.

“This whole election could be null and void, and we don’t want this.”

(Reuters/NAN)

  • WhatsApp
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • Telegram
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket


CITIZEN-FM AD


Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility

Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.

Donate


TEXT AD: Call Willie - +2348098788999






PT Mag Campaign AD

Previous Post

Nigerian govt bought 18 new aircraft for Air Force in three years

Next Post

Russia 2018: MRA sues Nigerian govt for failure to disclose official delegation, cost

Agency Report

Agency Report

More News

A general view of Scenery Park, East London, South Africa. Pic: Google Street View. (PHOTO CREDIT: Sky News)

17 people found dead in South African nightclub

June 26, 2022
Shireen Abu Akleh [PHOTO CREDIT: @AJEnglish]

UN says it has evidence AlJazeera journalist was killed by Israeli soldier

June 24, 2022
Map of Pakistan. [Photo credit: Cryptid Wiki - Fandom]

Pakistani journalist arrested after criticising military

June 24, 2022
A Soldier fighting in the Ukraine war

Ukrainian forces to withdraw from Severodonetsk – Regional Governor

June 24, 2022
2022 Kenya presidential candidate

Uncertainty grows as Kenya’s general elections draw near

June 22, 2022
Patrice Lumumba

Belgium returns Patrice Lumumba’s tooth decades after his murder

June 20, 2022
Next Post
Super Eagles of Nigeria

Russia 2018: MRA sues Nigerian govt for failure to disclose official delegation, cost

Dino Melaye, Senator representing Kogi West. [Photo Credit: Punch Newspapers]

DEVELOPING STORY: Dino Melaye allegedly kidnapped - Senator

Leave Comment

Search

AUN-PT Ad




Access Bank Ad







Subscribe to News via Email

Enter your email address and receive notifications of news by email.

Join 1,897,543 other subscribers.

Advertisement




netherland biz school Advert



ADVERTISEMENT

Our Digital Network

  • PT Hausa
  • Election Centre
  • Human Trafficking Investigation
  • Centre for Investigative Journalism
  • National Conference
  • Press Attack Tracker
  • PT Academy
  • Dubawa
  • LeaksNG
  • Campus Reporter

Resources

  • Oil & Gas Facts
  • List of Universities in Nigeria
  • LIST: Federal Unity Colleges in Nigeria
  • NYSC Orientation Camps in Nigeria
  • Nigeria’s Federal/States’ Budgets since 2005
  • Malabu Scandal Thread
  • World Cup 2018
  • Panama Papers Game
  • Our Digital Network
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Projects
  • Data & Infographics
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

No Result
View All Result
  • #PandoraPapers
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • Projects
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • Parliament Watch
    • AGAHRIN
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Opinion
  • The Membership Club
  • DONATE
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • PT Hausa
  • Dubawa NG
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Digital Store

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

Our website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.