PML-N, PPP secure thumping majority in Punjab, Sindh LB polls
Millions of Pakistanis voted on Saturday in local government polls.
LAHORE (Web Desk / Reuters) - The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has won the majority of seats in Punjab and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has secured most seats in Sindh in the local government elections, according to unofficial results released on Sunday.
The local polls, the first in 10 years, were held on Saturday in the twelve districts including Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujrat, Chakwal, Bhakkar, Nankana Sahib, Kasur, Pakpattan, Okara, Lodhran, Vehari and Bahawalnagar of central province of Punjab and eight districts including Sukkur, Khairpur, Shikarpur, Kashmore, Ghotki, Larkana, Shahdadkot and Jacobabad of the southern province of Sindh.
The two other provinces, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the northwest and Balochistan in the west, voted earlier this year. The PTI won in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in May but the PML-N and its allies came out on top in Balochistan in January.
Local bodies, in which voters elect councillors directly, devolve administrative and financial powers to lower tiers of electoral bodies.
PUNJAB ELECTION RESULTS
According to unofficial results, the PML-N led with 1,159 out of 2,696 UC seats, with independent candidates gaining the second position with 997 seats in the first phase of local government elections in Punjab.
Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) party only won 275 seats and the PPP secured 48 posts of union council chairman/vice-chairman.
In Okara, the PML-N clinched 137 slots of UC and the PTI 21. Ninety-two offices went to independents while PPP secured 20 seats.
In Kasur, the PML-N won 127, followed by independents 89 and PTI 85.
In Gujrat, the PML-N bagged 93 seats, independents 51 and PML-Q 35.
In Bahawalnagar, independent candidates won 162 seats, PML-N 52 and Muslim League Zia secured 3 UC slots.
In Bhakar, 27 seats went to the N-League, 36 to independents and one to the PPP.
In Vehari district, 54 seats were won by the PML-N candidates, independent candidates 81, PTI 27 and the PPP secured only 3 seats.
In Lodhran, PML-N grabbed 71, independent candidates 82, and PTI won 13 seats.
In Nankana Sahib, PML-N secured 62 seats, independent candidates 62, PTI 20 and PPP got two seats.
In Pakpattan, PML-N succeeded in clinching 61 UC seats, independent candidates 52, PTI 21 and Awami Tehreek won one seat.
SINDH ELECTION RESULTS
According to unofficial results, the PPP secured a thumping majority in eight districts of Sindh, followed by independents and the PML-Functional.
The ruling PPP in Sindh has won 843 seats so far.
Independent candidates won 238 seats while others grabbed 138 seats.
In Sukkur, the PPP won 91 seats while the independent candidates secured 13 seats. MQM and Functional League won four seats each.
The PPP remained top in Larkana with 139 seats, with independent candidates gaining the second position with 16 seats. PML-F and JUI-F won one seat each.
In Khairpur, the PPP grabbed 150 seats, PML-F 72 seats, independents 19 and JUI-F secured only one seat.
In Jacobabad, PPP is leading with 81 seats, independent candidates 10, JUI-F 4 and PML-N won only one seat.
The PPP won 81 seats in Kashmore, independents 41, JUI-F 2 and Peoples Party Worker clinched one seat.
In Ghotki, the PPP remained successful in clinching 111 seats, independents 35, PML-F 11 and Tehreek-e-Insaf won 5 seats only.
In Qambar Shahdadkot, the PPP grabbed 111 seats and independents won 38 seats.
PTI LEADER RESIGNS
Shafqat Mahmood, the PTI Organizer in Lahore, on Sunday resigned from his position over worst defeat in first phase of Local Government Elections in the city.
In a message posted on social media website, he said the party s performance in the LB polls was worse than expected.
"PROCEDURAL IRREGULARITIES AND ILLEGALITIES"
A report published by the Free and Fair Election Network on Sunday stated that an impressive number of people turned out to vote in the first phase of the local government election in 12 districts of Punjab, which were relatively peaceful but marked with procedural irregularities and illegalities that continue to show a weaker grip of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on the enforcement of electoral processes.
The Fafen report was released with the purpose of influencing improvements in the second and third phases of Local Government elections which are due on November 19 and December 5, 2015 respectively. The election in Islamabad Capital Territory is scheduled for November 30, 2015.
FAFEN’s preliminary findings suggest that 177 (71%) of the 249 polling stations across Punjab from where the information could be acquired reported various violations of the electoral procedures, including restrictions on independent observation of voting and counting processes, breach of secrecy of voting, canvassing inside polling stations, presence of security personnel inside polling stations and incidences of interference by security and election staff in the voting processes.
In Sindh, the local government elections were also not free from procedural irregularities and tainted by the afternoon clash in Khairpur district that claimed lives of 11 political workers.
FAFEN’s preliminary findings revealed that observers in Sindh were barred from observation at 11 (8.2%) out of 134 polling stations and from observation of counting processes at another seven (5.2%) polling stations from where the information could be acquired on election day.
Additionally, there were seven (5.2%) polling stations which did not open at the scheduled official time and as many polling stations where secrecy of ballot was breached. There were nine (6.7%) polling stations where parties and candidates were seen canvassing inside the premises. There were also five (3.7%) polling stations where polling was interrupted due to different reasons, while at four (2.9%) polling stations, voters complained against last minute change in their polling station. At another three (2.2%) polling stations, observers reported that the required election material was not available on time, FAFEN stated.
