EU observers have said conditions for fair elections in Pakistan worsened since the last vote in 2013. Final counts point to a result that is insufficient for Imran Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf party to govern alone.
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Pakistan vote - EU election observer Gahler talks to DW
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Following two days of vote counting, the Pakistani Election Commission formally declared that Imran Khan's party was the winner of the country's parliamentary elections. EU observers concluded on Friday that the results were "credible," but criticized a "lack of equality" in the contest and said that the playing field was more uneven since the last vote in 2013.
"Although there were several legal provisions aimed at ensuring a level playing field, we have concluded that there was a lack of equality and opportunity," Michael Gahler, chief observer of the EU Election Observation Mission, said at a press conference.
In its initial findings, the EU concluded that the Pakistani elections were relatively transparent, but raised the alarm on unfair pre-election practices.
Pre-poll curbs on media and a crackdown on Pakistan Muslim League party's (PML-N) activists and officials were noticeable, Michael Gahler told DW, emphasizing that the pre-election environment matters.
At the packed press conference in Islamabad, Gahler said that the 2018 elections had been worse than in 2013, but ascertained that the Pakistani military had not interfered in the voting process, DW correspondent Naomi Conrad reported.
The EU mission deployed 120 monitors across Pakistan, who visited 582 polling stations in 113 different constituencies.
The vote was the country's third consecutive civilian government election, where voters could choose lawmakers for the Pakistani National Assembly and its four provincial parliaments, in a parliamentary system that is modeled after the UK.
While 11 seats are still to be determined, the patterns are irreversible. Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf party had obtained 115 seats in the National Assembly, certainly falling short of the 137 seats needed to govern with a majority.
His nearest rival, Shahbaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League, won 63 seats and the left-of-center Pakistan People's party, led former PM Benazir Bhutto's son Bilawal Bhutto, came in third with 43 seats.
Pakistan's National Assembly has 342 seats but only 272 are directly elected by voters. Three seats were uncontested and the remainder are reserved for women and minorities.
Tehreek-e-Insaf spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said that work to build the governing coalition was already underway and that the party would consider both independents and allies, in a process that could take several days.
Who is Imran Khan, Pakistan's prime minister?
From cricket icon, to hedonistic playboy, and finally the leader of Pakistan — Imran Khan has enjoyed a long career in the public eye. DW looks at Imran Khan's sporting successes and political ascent.
Image: Reuters/M. Raza
Affluent upbringing
Imran Khan was born in Lahore in 1952, the son of a civil engineer. Khan grew up with his four sisters in a relatively affluent part of the city. He received a privileged education, first in his hometown and then in Worcester, England. It was there that Khan's love and talent for the game of cricket became evident. In 1972, he enrolled at Oxford University to study politics and economics.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/B.K. Bangash
Pakistan cricket's blue-eyed boy
Khan played cricket throughout his time in England and after returning to his native Pakistan in 1976, he quickly became a regular in the national team. By 1982, he was awarded the captain's armband. Khan enjoyed an illustrious career and was regarded by many as one of the best all-rounders in the world.
Image: Getty Images
World champion
The ultimate high point of Khan's sporting career saw him captain Pakistan to the 1992 Cricket World Cup in Melbourne, Australia. As if his popularity couldn't get any bigger back home, Khan even took the winning wicket in the final against England.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/S. Dupont
From playboy to (thrice) married man
Khan enjoyed hedonistic bachelor life and was a regular fixture on London's nightlife scene. However, in 1995, at age 42, he finally tied the knot to 21-year-old Jemima Goldsmith. During their nine-year marriage, the famous couple provided plenty of fodder for the British and Pakistani tabloids. Despite separating in 2004, Goldsmith has remained a vocal supporter of Khan's politics.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Khan enters politics
Khan wasted little time after retiring from cricket in 1994. Just two years later he entered Pakistani politics and founded the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. However, his popularity was slow to carry over from cricket into politics. In the 1997 general elections, his PTI party failed to win a single seat.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Political activist
Khan remained active in politics over the next decades. In 1999, he supported General Pervez Musharraf's military coup, only to later turn against Musharraf ahead of the 2007 presidential election. Khan was subsequently placed under house arrest and even spent a few days in prison. However, his supporter base continued to grow, and by 2013 he became a key candidate in the general elections.
Image: AP
2013: Khan's political breakthrough
The PTI made substantial gains in the 2013 election, claiming 30 parliamentary seats and finishing second behind the Pakistan Muslim League. The party became the main opposition in the key provinces of Punjab and Sindh. However, its greatest feat was winning its first province in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Arab
"Taliban Khan"
Khan has often been the butt of jokes for his pacifist stance towards terrorism in the region. He earned the moniker "Taliban Khan" for claiming that the only way to achieve peace with the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan was through negotiation. Khan was also a vocal critic of US drones strikes on Pakistan and has promised to disengage Pakistan from America's conflicts in the Middle East.
Image: Getty Images
Two more marriages
Since his divorce from Goldsmith in 2004, Khan has remarried twice. In January 2015, Khan announced his marriage to British-Pakistani journalist Reham Khanm although just 10 months later the couple said they were filing for divorce. In February 2018, Khan married his third wife, Bushra Manika (pictured front row, second from the left), whom he describes as his spiritual adviser.
Image: PIT
Making waves in 2018
By 2018, Khan's PTI were among the favorites going into the general election. Campaigning on a populist platform, Khan pledged to break away from Pakistan's corrupt legacy. His plans include a poverty reduction program similar to that seen in China. This would see the establishment of an "Islamic welfare state," the creation of 10 million jobs and construction of 5 million homes for the poor.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary
Prime Minister Imran Khan
Khan completed his journey from all-star cricketer to political leader on July 26, 2018. With most votes counted, the PTI is expected win up to 119 seats in Pakistan's 272-seat parliament. "I started this struggle 22 years ago and today I have been given a chance to fulfill what I dreamed for the country," Khan said in a televised speech. "We will run Pakistan like it's never been run before."
Image: Getty Images/A.Ali
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Sharif concedes
Despite initially rejecting Khan's win and alleging that vote rigging had taken place, Shahbaz Sharif's Muslim League accepted the results on Friday. Sharif is still behind bars on corruption charges, after being detained upon his return to Pakistan on the eve of the election.
"We are going to sit on opposition benches, despite all the reservations," said Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, a parliamentarian, and the son of Shahbaz Sharif.
Although rights groups and minorities had expressed worries of radical religious groups winning seats, results point to moderate voices having generally prevailed. None of the 265 candidates fielded by the outlawed extremist group Lashkar-e-Taiba managed to secure a seat.
Although banned, Lashkar-e-Taiba candidates had campaigned under a little-known Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek party to avoid association with their own group, which would disqualify them.
