ISLAMABAD —
Pakistan’s former prime minister
Imran Khan won six of eight national assembly seats he stood for in a weekend
by-election, unofficial results showed Monday, a vote he has called a
referendum on his popularity.
اضافة اعلان
The by-election
is the latest twist in months of political wrangling that began before Khan’s
April ouster via a no-confidence vote, and comes as the nation grapples with
the aftermath of devastating monsoon floods that left a third of the country
under water.
The polls were
called “in constituencies where the government thought PTI was weakest”, Khan,
a former Pakistan cricket captain, said at a press conference at his home on
the outskirts of Islamabad, referring to his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
“Despite such
attempts, our voters defeated combined candidates of the ruling coalition.”
It was, however,
an effective net loss for PTI, which had previously held all eight seats.
Individuals can
stand in multiple constituencies in Pakistan elections and choose which to
forfeit if they win more than one, but it is rare for a candidate to contest as
many as Khan.
The 70-year-old
has attempted to disrupt Pakistan’s political process since his April ouster
when he ordered all his lawmakers to give up their seats, leaving no PTI
members in the
National Assembly.
The electoral
commission has so far called by-elections in only eight of the dozens of
constituencies and PTI chiefs have said Khan will not take up any of the
winning seats, triggering further elections.
“This was a
referendum because voters knew we would not go to the assembly, and even then
they voted in favor of our candidates,” Khan added.
He has also vowed
to soon announce the date of a “long march” of his supporters on the capital to
pressure the government to announce an earlier national election than that
scheduled for October next year.
Khan regularly
holds rallies drawing tens of thousands across the country, giving fiery
speeches criticizing state institutions -- including the powerful military --
for allegedly conspiring to topple his government.
“Winning six out
of eight seats in the face of a combined opposition is not something small,”
said Imtiaz Gul, an analyst from the Center for Research and Security Studies
in Islamabad.
“It underlines a
reality which may be bitter for the entire ruling alliance; ... Imran Khan’s
narrative is still galvanizing many people across the country.”
Khan rode to power
in 2018 on a populist platform promising social reforms, religious conservatism
and a fight against corruption, overturning decades of rule by two feuding
political dynasties interspersed with military takeovers.
But, under his
tenure, the economy stagnated and he lost the support of the army, which was
accused of helping to get him elected.
He has, so far,
emerged largely unscathed from a series of court cases against him and his
party.
Pakistan’s courts
are often used to tie up lawmakers in tedious and long-winding proceedings that
rights monitors have criticized for stifling political opposition.
In his latest
appearance on Monday, Khan was given bail over allegations his PTI received
illegal foreign funding.
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