Pakistan election results delayed with 'rigging' accusations

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Pakistani authorities said on Thursday full results of a general election would be delayed as cricket-hero-turned-politician Imran Khan led in a partial count that opponents said was rigged, according to a report by Reuters on Thursday.

The party of Khan's jailed chief rival ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, called the count an assault on democracy in the nuclear-armed, Muslim country which has a history of military rule.

Supporters of Pakistan's Imran Khan, head of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) party, celebrate during the general election in Lahore on July 25, 2018. /VCG Photo

Pakistan's top election official batted away allegations of ballot-rigging Thursday, defending an ongoing delay in the formal vote count as a technical issue.

The incumbent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party flat out rejected the pending results of Wednesday's election, citing "outright rigging" and accusing officials of preventing its representatives from overseeing the count.

A woman casts her vote in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on July 25, 2018. /Reuters Photo

Any potential delays in forming a government would be worrisome, as Pakistan faces a mounting economic crisis that is likely to require a bailout by the International Monetary Fund and worsening relations with on-off ally the United States, the Reuters article says.

Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) secretary Babar Yaqoob told reporters early on Thursday counting had been delayed by technical failures in an electronic reporting system and the tallying was now being conducted manually. The results had been due by 2 am (2100 GMT).

Supporters of Imran Khan at a campaign rally in Karachi, Pakistan on July 22, 2018. /Reuters Photo

Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was ahead in 66 constituencies, and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), led by the son of assassinated two-time prime minister Benazir Bhutto, led in 39 constituencies.

Khan's camp was increasingly confident, although it still appeared likely to fall short of the 137 seats needed for a majority in the National Assembly, raising the prospect it would need to find coalition partners among smaller parties and independents.

Imran Khan arrives at a polling station in Islamabad, Pakistan on July 25, 2018. /Reuters Photo

Khan's party spokesman, Fawad Chaudhry, tweeted "Congratulations to the nation on a new Pakistan! Prime Minister Imran Khan", although his party has officially held off on declaring victory.

Wednesday's voting was marred by a suicide bombing that killed 31 people near a polling station in Quetta, capital of the southwestern province of Baluchistan. Islamic State claimed responsibility, also reported in the Reuters article.

Despite the technical issues, "these elections were 100 percent fair and transparent", said Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Muhammad Raza on Thursday, in his first comments after polls closed, reported by AFP earlier on Thursday.

A Pakistani motorcyclist rides past a billboard featuring an image of Imran Khan, a day after the general election in Islamabad on July 26, 2018. /VCG Photo

Raza did not say when election authorities would be in a position to announce the results.

The comments reflected similar remarks by the ECP's secretary hours earlier.

The PML-N chief Shahbaz Sharif -- brother of jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif -- alleged "massive rigging" in the election that "will cause irreparable damage to the country", reported by AFP.

A woman votes in Karachi, Pakistan on July 25, 2018. /Reuters Photo

As election workers poured over mounds of paper ballots, other major parties -- including the Pakistan Peoples Party -- joined the fray, alleging the count was being manipulated.

The controversy follows a bitter campaign season marred by allegations of interference from the country's powerful military, with former cricket star Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) accused of being the beneficiary.

The election was largely seen as a head-to-head clash between the PTI and the PML-N, with election analysts saying the contest was still too close to call.

Pakistani residents read morning newspapers at a stall a day after the general election in Islamabad on July 26, 2018. /VCG Photo

The PML-N claims it has been the target of the alleged military machinations. Its former leader Nawaz was ousted from power last year and jailed over a corruption conviction days before the vote, removing Khan's most dangerous rival.

The military denies the allegations.

(Cover: Voters line up at a polling station in Karachi, Pakistan on July 25, 2018. /Reuters Photo)

(With input from agencies)