Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan won six of the 8 seats in the National Assembly he represented in a weekend by-election, unofficial effects announced Monday, a vote for a referendum on his popularity.
The election is the latest twist in months of political wrangling that began before Khan was ousted in April through a no-confidence vote, and comes as the country grapples with the fallout from devastating monsoon floods that have left a third of the country under water.
The polls were held “in constituencies where the government believes the PTI is weaker,” Khan, a former Pakistani cricket captain, told a news conference at his home on the outskirts of Islamabad, referring to his Pakistani Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
“Despite such attempts, our electorate defeated the combined candidates of the ruling coalition. “
However, this was an effective net loss for PTI, which in the past held all 8 seats.
People can run in Pakistan’s constituencies and decide which one to give up if they win more than one, however, it is rare for a candidate to compete in as many as Khan.
The 70-year-old has tried to disrupt Pakistan’s political procedure since his ouster in April when he ordered all his lawmakers to resign their seats, leaving no PTI member in the National Assembly.
The Election Commission has called by-elections in only 8 of the dozens of constituencies and PTI leaders have said Khan will not take any of the winning seats, calling new elections.
“It was a referendum because the electorate knew we weren’t going to the assembly, and even then they voted for our candidates,” Khan added.
He also promised to announce soon the date of a “long march” of his supporters in the capital to force the call for national elections prior to those scheduled for October next year.
Khan holds rallies that attract tens of thousands of others across the country, delivering fierce speeches criticizing state institutions, including the hard army, for allegedly plotting to overthrow his government.
“Winning six of the eight seats in a combined opposition is no small feat,” said Imtiaz Gul, an analyst at Islamabad’s Center for Security Research and Studies.
“It underlines a truth that can be bitter for the entire ruling alliance. . . Imran Khan’s story continues to drive many other people across the country. “
Khan went so far as to impose in 2018 a populist platform promising social reforms, conservatism and a fight against corruption, reversing decades of rule through two rival political dynasties interspersed with army takeovers.
But under his tenure, the economy stagnated and he lost control of the army, which was accused of helping to elect him.
So far, he has emerged largely unscathed from a series of court instances opposed to him and his party.
Pakistan’s courts are used to bind lawmakers in tedious and lengthy proceedings that human rights advocates have criticized for cracking down on political opposition.
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In his final court appearance on Monday, Khan was released on bail over allegations that his PTI had obtained illegal foreign funding.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed. )
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