The Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday said that he planned to request a partial recount while a local election observer group said some polling stations saw higher turnouts than the number of eligible voters.
“Today we will demand a recount in 25 Punjab constituencies where we have ample proof of rigging/irregularities,” Imran Khan tweeted.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) declared preliminary results for 254 of the 272 contested seats in the National Assembly.
Elections in two constituencies were cancelled owing to deaths of contestants. Balloting was postponed in another because of security concerns. Results for one seat had also been withheld amid reports of irregularities.
Nawaz Sharif’s party was poised to emerge victorious, apparently winning 123 seats so far – nearly four times more than the former ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
Imran Khan’s party has been trailing PPP by a small margin, according to the preliminary results.
Election watchdog FAFEN reported that at least 49 polling centres recorded turnouts higher than the number of eligible voters.
“The Election Commission of Pakistan must not include votes from these polling stations in calculations of constituency election results, and should consider re-polling in these stations,” FAFEN urged in a statement.