Pakistan election: Nawaz Sharif ‘set for victory’

Former Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif is celebrating with his supporters, amid early signs that his party will be the largest after parliamentary elections, according to BBC.

Media projections based on partial results suggest a big lead for Mr Sharif’s Muslim League, and he has already claimed victory.

The election should lead to the country’s first transition from one elected government to another.

The turnout was huge but the poll was marred by violence.

In Karachi, the Pakistan Taliban said they planted a bomb which killed 11 people and wounded 40 others.

The bomb was placed outside the office of the Awami National Party.

There were also attacks in Balochistan and the north-western city of Peshawar.

Of the many surprises thrown up by Pakistani elections, the most important is the possibility that twice Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could win a straight majority instead of having to cobble together a coalition, as was earlier expected. It will make the job of decision making simpler.

But it will also put Mr Sharif into a tough situation. As an opposition leader, he has distanced himself from the outgoing government’s fight against militancy, and has generally leaned towards the religious right-wing. But with the looming Nato withdrawal from Afghanistan, he will be under pressure to revisit this policy.

Analysts attribute his victory largely to his promises of correcting Pakistan’s energy supply and encouraging economic growth. Since the bulk of his support is confined to the province of Punjab, he will need to work for a broader consensus across the country if he is to succeed in meeting these challenges.

An election commission spokesman said they hoped for a turnout of 60-80%. In 2008 it was 44%.

No official results have yet been released, but unofficial partial results suggested that Mr Sharif’s party was ahead in more than 100 of the 272 directly elected parliamentary seats.

It appears that Mr Sharif’s party will fall short of a simple majority in the National Assembly.

But in a speech at his party headquarters in the north-eastern city of Lahore, Mr Sharif said that the Muslim League (PML-N) was sure to emerge as the largest party.

“We should thank Allah that he has given PML-N [Muslim League] another chance to serve you and Pakistan.”

“I appeal for all parties to come to the table and sit with me and solve the country’s problems.”

Mr Sharif’s apparent victory is largely confined to his native Punjab province, which has nearly 60% of the country’s population, and so he will be compelled to look for support from the three smaller provinces for greater legitimacy.

But our correspondent says that even if he had got as few as 90 seats he would still have been able to put together a coalition.

R.S