July 24
On Wednesday, nearly 106 million voters will head to Pakistan’s nationwide polls with several key issues weighing on their mind, from a crippled economy, electricity outages, and a worsening water crisis.
After four currency devaluations since December, Pakistan’s sputtering economy is grappling with a balance-of-payments crisis, and the new government will look to request relief from the International Monetary Fund or neighboring China — the nation’s No. 1 trading partner. The upcoming election will only be the country’s second democratic power transition, and no prime minister has ever completed a full five-year term of office.
Khan, a populist candidate who has campaigned on a staunch anti-corruption message, is widely seen as the front runner, but he will face stiff competition from the incumbent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The party’s top leader, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, was recently jailed for 10 years on corruption charges after being disqualified from office last year. Critics, however, contend that the charges are politically-motivated and that Khan has the implicit backing of the military establishment that is often seen as running the country.
Nearly 12,000 candidates are contesting for 849 National and provincial seats.
National Assembly
The National Assembly in the capital Islamabad is comprised of 342 seats, of which 272 open seats are being contested. The remaining 70 seats are reserved for women and non-Muslims, with 60 for women and 10 for non-Muslims.
Punjab is the largest province and key to the formation of a new government with 141 assembly seats being sought by 1,623 candidates. For the 35 seats reserved for women from Punjab, 73 candidates are listed.
PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLIES
Punjab Assembly: It has 371 seats, of which 297 are being contested by 4,036 candidates. Vying for the 66 seats for women are 174 candidates and for the eight seats for non-Muslims, 32 candidates are lined up.
Sindh Assembly: For the 168-seat body, 130 seats are being contested by 2,252 candidates. For the 29 seats for women, 91 candidates are listed and for nine reserved seats for non-Muslim minorities, 39 candidates are listed.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly: In the 124-seat assembly, 99 seats are being contested by 1,154 candidates. The election of one seat has been postponed due to the death of a candidate in a suicide attack in the provincial capital Peshawar. For 22 women’s seats, 79 candidates are lined up and for three minority seats, 20 candidates are in the wings.
Baluchistan Assembly: There are 939 candidates in the running for 51 general seats. The contest for one seat has been postponed due to the death of a candidate and 148 supporters in the district of Mastung in a suicide bombing.