Pakistani election results are rolling in, and independent candidates are in the lead

In the preliminary election results in Pakistan, independent parliamentary candidates are leading. According to the High Elections Commission, they will obtain 49 seats out of the 124 seats announced so far.

The counting of votes is taking longer than usual in Pakistan. According to the government, the reason for this is the suspension of mobile phone services yesterday. The authorities did not provide any additional explanation on this matter.

Most of these independent candidates have the support of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is currently imprisoned. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, became the largest party in the previous parliamentary elections, but it can no longer participate as a party due to a controversial decision taken by the Supreme Court. Therefore many PTI members contested as independent candidates.

Khan's rival and former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif of the PML-N, has won 39 seats so far. A total of 265 seats can be allocated, so the party needs 133 seats to form a majority. 31 seats go to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's People's Party.

Therefore, the election results are a close race. Sharif announced his victory immediately after the polls closed. But in the Pakistani media at the time it appeared that the independent candidates, supported by Khan, would win a majority. Early in the morning, the picture began to tilt, and Sharif was in the foreground for a moment. But recent results show that independent candidates, supported by Khan, are regaining the majority.

Ishaq Dar, Sharif's aide and former finance minister, says the PML-N could form a coalition government with independent candidates. He also says the party will surrender if another party emerges as a clear winner.

Sharif returned to Pakistan in October after four years in exile. His rival Khan has been in prison for several months after being convicted of, among other things, leaking state secrets and corruption.

Sharif was acquitted of all kinds of charges in the months leading up to the election. Most analysts agree that this is because the army wants Sharif to return to power. The army has great political influence in Pakistan. The army would have been disappointed in the Khan, who would have turned away from the general while they were helping him into the saddle.

There is unrest in Pakistan. There are economic problems in the country with a population of more than 240 million people and tensions with Iran. One day before the elections, about thirty people were killed in deadly explosions targeting the offices of election candidates. Dozens were injured. People were also killed in election day attacks. About 600,000 security forces were deployed to protect the elections.