ISLAMABAD: The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) has observed the by-elections in eight National Assembly and three Punjab Assembly constituencies remained peaceful.
It observed that only 35 percent of the registered voters turned out on the polling day and there were scattered instances of irregularities primarily concerning unchecked campaigning inside and around polling stations.
In its report, FAFEN said the voter turnout in the by-polls remained low as compared to the 2018 general election. The male turnout declined from 57.3 percent in GE-2018 to 39.5 percent in BE-2022, while the female turnout dropped from 45.0 percent to 29.7 percent.
In absolute numbers, 470,890 fewer voters turned out to vote as compared to 1,962,800 voters in the 2018 general elections. The highest voter turnout (53.3 percent) was recorded in PP-209 Khanewal-VII and the lowest (14.8 percent) in NA-239 Korangi Karachi-I.
The lowest female turnout remained at 10.4 percent was recorded in NA-31 Peshawar-V, raising the need for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to look into the reasons under section 9 of the Elections Act, 2017. As many as four constituencies had less than 20 percent female turnout as compared to one with a male turnout below 20 percent.
The voters’ turnout remained especially abysmal in two Karachi constituencies (NA-239 Korangi Karachi-I and NA-237 Malir-II), where cumulatively 17.6 percent of the registered voters exercised their right to vote as compared to 27.4 percent turnout in three Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) constituencies and 44.8 percent in six Punjab constituencies
FAFEN observed that only three of the total 118 contesting candidates of the by-elections were women, reinforcing the need for political parties to reach out to women and other marginalized segments of the population for their political education and emancipation.
It said scattered irregularities were observed including the presence of unauthorized persons inside polling stations potentially compromising the efficacy of the electoral process; unchecked campaigning and canvassing inside and outside polling, and oversized polling stations that could lead to overcrowding and disorderly polling.
According to the Provisional Consolidated Statement of Results (Form-47), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan candidates won six National Assembly. PTI candidates also won two Punjab Assembly constituencies.
Pakistan Peoples’ Party Parliamentarians (PPP-P) won two National Assembly constituencies, and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won one Punjab Assembly seat.
[embedpost slug=”by-polls-2022-making-history-imran-khan-wins-six-na-seats/”]
