The general election in Pakistan saw over 128 million voters registered to elect representatives for the National Assembly and the nation’s four provincial legislatures. The election was marred by violence and a suspension of mobile phone services. Each voter had the opportunity to cast two votes, one for the National Assembly and the other for the provincial assembly. The National Assembly comprises 336 seats, with 266 decided through direct voting. The constituencies and number of seats were altered based on the 2023 national census.
The major parties in the election included Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Nawaz Sharif, the head of PMLN, and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the leader of PPP, were among the leading candidates to be Pakistan’s next prime minister. Imran Khan, the leader of PTI, was in jail on corruption and state secrets charges at the time of the election.
The results of the election have since been eagerly awaited by the public.