Pakistanis voted for a new government Wednesday in an election marred by violence and allegations of fraud. The winner will face a crumbling economy and bloodshed by militants whose latest attack saw a suicide bomber kill 31 people outside a polling station.
Electoral authorities said official results declaring an outright winner were not expected before late Thursday morning. However, early unofficial results gave cricket star Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party a commanding lead over his main rival, Shahbaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League.
Jubilant Khan supporters danced to the beat of drums at his party headquarters in Islamabad, sensing a victory. The sound of fire crackers echoed in the night sky.
Sharif, the younger brother of disgraced Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has been jailed on corruption charges, disputed the election results even before they were announced. He charged fraud and vowed not to accept the results, generating fears that disgruntled losers could delay the formation of the next government.
The parliamentary balloting marked only the second time in Pakistan’s 71-year history that one civilian government has handed power to another in the country of 200 million people. There also have been widespread concerns during the election campaign about manipulation by the military, which has directly or indirectly ruled the country for most of its existence.
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