Nearly a day after Pakistan voted for its new government on Wednesday, the citizens of that country are awaiting an official announcement from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), regarding the general assembly's outcome.
While vote counting ─ amid allegations of fraud by PML-N and other political parties ─ has been tediously slow, preliminary results indicate that the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has obtained a clear edge over other parties. According to Dawn, 49% of the total counting is done, and PTI is leading in 119 seats. It requires 137 to stake claim to form the next government.
It is a stunning rise for an anti-corruption crusader who spent much of his political career on the fringes of Pakistani politics. The stock market shot up nearly 2 percent in early trading on relief that Khan was expected to be able to form a stable coalition.
Pakistan faces a mounting economic crisis that is likely to require a bailout from 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 around 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.
A Reuters reporter at the ECP offices said the main computer screen showing results in the viewing area was malfunctioning as well, with only a handful of results showing.
With 48 percent of the total vote 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 is scheduled to speak at 4 p.m. (1100 GMT), when he is expected to declare victory. Earlier his spokesman, Fawad Chaudhry, tweeted: "Congratulations to the nation on a new Pakistan! Prime Minister Imran Khan."
Although Khan still appeared likely to fall short of the 137 seats needed for a majority in the National Assembly, he should have no problems finding coalition partners from smaller parties and independents.
"ISLAMIC WELFARE STATE"
Khan has staunchly denied allegations by PML-N that he is getting help from the military, which has ruled Pakistan for about half of its history and still sets key security and foreign policy in the nuclear-armed nation.
The army has also dismissed allegations of meddling in the election.
Khan has promised an "Islamic welfare state" and cast his populist campaign as a battle to topple a predatory political elite hindering development in the impoverished nation of 208 million, where the illiteracy rate hovers above 40 percent.
Imran's ex-wife, British heiress Jemima Goldsmith, congratulated her former partner on succeeding after 22 tough years that included "humiliations, hurdles and sacrifices".
"It's an incredible lesson in tenacity, belief & refusal to accept defeat," she tweeted. "The challenge now is to remember why he entered politics in the 1st place."
With Reuters inputs
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