Pakistan's two main political parties are negotiating to determine who will occupy the position of prime minister, after the February 8 elections, marked by violence. The need to form a coalition in a parliament mostly made up of independents led both parties to sit down to negotiate, although tensions between them create concern for the country's stability.
One country, two winners. The provisional president of Pakistan, Anwaarul-Haq-Kakar, defended this Monday, February 12, the delay in the disclosure of the results of last week's elections. According to him, the authorities spent only 36 hours counting more than 60 million votes, while facing attacks carried out by illegal armed groups.
The prime minister claimed that there was a “level playing field” for all political parties, including Imran Khan, the jailed former prime minister, whose party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, PTI, won the majority of seats, but with its candidates running as independents.
The election day of Thursday, February 8, which sought to elect a new parliament, was marred by allegations of vote manipulation, an unprecedented telecommunications shutdown and the exclusion of Khan and his party from the race.
In a press conference, Kakar argued that the suspension of mobile phone service on election day was for security reasons, following two attacks that killed 30 people in the southwestern province of Balochistan a day before the vote.
Qriots and general strike
Likewise, Kakar noted that security forces killed a key member of the Islamic State jihadist group last week, the alleged perpetrator of the aforementioned pre-election attacks.
According to Kakar, the elections were largely free, fair and peaceful, adding that the process to install the new National Assembly will begin in eight or nine days. It will be that Parliament that will elect the new president, vice president and the new prime minister.
Thousands of Khan's followers and sympathizers of other political parties blocked important communication routes and called a 24-hour strike in the unstable southwestern region of Balochistan, protesting alleged electoral irregularities.
Additionally, various nationalist and Islamist political groups in Balochistan closed two routes connecting to border crossings into Iran and Afghanistan, causing disruptions to trade and the movement of people. Jan Achakzai, spokesman for the Balochistan government, asked the protesters to accept defeat and free the roads.
Former prime ministers Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif declared themselves victors and independent candidates backed by Khan formed the largest group of 93 seats out of a total of 264.
The Pakistan Muslim League-N party, PML-N, under the leadership of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who served three times and has a criminal record, secured 75 seats. Sharif is currently in negotiations with his allies to establish a coalition government.
Read alsoThe 'general' elections in Pakistan that turned against the military
For its part, the Pakistan People's Party, PPP, led by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, took third place with 54 seats. Both the PML-N and the PPP led the campaign to remove Khan from office in 2022. Both parties are now seeking to form a coalition.
Khan failed to run in the elections due to criminal convictions against him which, according to him, have political background. “Both parties are interested in forming a coalition, but there is no progress so far. Both parties want the post of prime minister,” a senior PML-N figure close to the Sharif family told Reuters.
To become prime minister, a candidate must secure a simple majority of 169 seats. of the 336 members of the National Assembly, when it meets in the coming weeks. Of the total seats, around 70 are designated for representatives of women and minorities, distributed among the parties proportionally.
“For now, the PTI will be sidelined, despite winning more seats than any other party. But in the long run, you will gain more popularity and sympathy. “If a coalition government is formed again, it would be a weaker government as the PTI, which has won more seats, will be a stronger opposition,” said Pakistani analyst Hassan Askari.
“Pakistan is now entering an uncertain scenario,” says expert
Pakistan's military traditionally plays an arbiter's role in determining the next prime minister, and Sharif was considered the military's favorite upon his return to the country last October. He spent four years in exile to avoid serving prison sentences. Sharif's sentences were overturned shortly after his arrival in Pakistan.
“The current results mean that no party is in a position to form a government on its own. That is why a coalition government at the federal level is inevitable,” said Ayesha Jalal, an expert on the political history of Pakistan and a professor at Tufts University.
According to Jalal, “The PTI has made it clear that it wants to form a government on its own and believes that its mandate was stolen.”
The expert states that “Pakistan is now entering an uncertain scenario that is, in fact, a post-election political crisis. Coalitions are not uncommon in Pakistani politics, but they are not easy to manage. They can become unwieldy, weak and prone to manipulation.”
Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces witnessed insurgent attacks during the final weeks of the campaign, mainly against electoral offices and candidates, despite the government's efforts to guarantee security. Both the European Union and the United States expressed concern about the elections in Pakistan, amid security threats and accusations of fraud.
With AP and EFE
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