Voter turnout over 50 per cent: FAFEN

The Free and Fare Election Network (FAFEN), a coalition of 50 leading civil society organisations, has published its initial assessment report of General Election 2018.

The report, which publishes feedback from FAFEN’s over 19,000 observers that monitored the polling process, states that the voter turnout stood at 50.3 per cent with long queues of voters witnessed at polling stations.

Detailing the voter turnout province-wise, FAFEN stated that the turnout stood at 59 per cent in Punjab, 58.2 per cent in Islamabad, 47.7 per cent in Sindh, 43.6 per cent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 39.6 per cent in Balochistan. 

The male turnout stood at 58.3 per cent while the women turn out was 47 per cent, FAFEN stated, adding that more than 49 million voters exercised their right to vote. 

Except for the ECP's delay in transmitting election results, no other major issues were witnessed on July 25, as per FAFEN. 

The report also states that women turnout remained fewer than the legally-mandated 10 per cent in NA-10 (Shangla) and NA-48 (North Waziristan).

FAFEN also called on the ECP to resolve the reservations expressed by candidates and take action against those responsible. 

Election Day

Millions of Pakistanis stepped out to cast their ballot in Wednesday's election, including women in areas where they previously stood disenfranchised.

Polling began at 8AM across the country's 85,307 polling stations and continued until 6PM, despite calls by several major parties, including PML-N, PPP and PTI, to extend the polling time by an hour.

The parties had complained of “a slow voting process” and thus sought more time to facilitate voters — a request that was dismissed by the ECP.

The election campaign was marred by violence with three candidates killed in targetted attacks in the run-up to the polls, and culminated with a suicide blast outside a polling station in Quetta which claimed at least 31 lives.

As many as 12,570 candidates contested for a total of 849 seats of national and provincial assemblies in the country's 11th General Election.