Pakistan's Election Commission started to release initial
results of the country's legislative election late Monday night and
the latest figures showed voter turnout was below 20 percent in
some polling stations.
Delegates from
provincial election commissions wait for election results early in
the morning, Feb. 19, in Islamabad.
The president of Pakistan's ruling party lost his seat in
parliament in Monday's general election, local TV reported on
Tuesday.
The Pakistan Muslim League (PML) President Chaudhry Shujaat
Hussain was defeated in his seat in Punjab province by a rival
candidate from the Pakistan People's Party.
The Election Commission publicized in a conference held at
around 11:00 p.m. local time (1800 GMT), or over six hours after
voting ended, winners of two National Assembly seats and one
provincial seat in Balochistan.
Independent candidates Syed Akhond Zada and Shoukatullah, both
from the federal administrated tribal areas, won out in their
contest for National Assembly seats. Turnout at the two
constituencies were 17.69 percent and 12.84 percent
respectively.
Supporters of the
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) celebrate after hearing preliminary
results in Gujar Khan, some 60 kms from Islamabad.
Shafiq Ahted Khan of the Pakistan People's Party won a
provincial assembly seat in Balochistan. The turnout was 19.17
percent.
The Election Commission is still collecting data from all across
the country and results are expected to be announced on
Tuesday.
The commission said at the conference that cases of violence
occurred on the election day, but none of those was at a polling
station.
Regarding rigging complainants, it said none of them had been
proved and investigation was under way.
Pakistan held elections Monday for the National Assembly and
four provincial assemblies. More than 60,000 polling stations were
set up nationwide for over 80 million registered voters.
The election was originally scheduled for Jan. 8 but the
assassination of former Prime Minister and opposition leader
Benazir Bhutto in a rally in Rawalpindi on Dec. 27 last year forced
a delay.
A voter presses his
fingerprint at a polling station in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Feb. 18,
2008.
(Xinhua News Agency February 19, 2008)
