Politics
20:28, 26-Jul-2018
Imran Khan claims victory in Pakistan elections
Updated
19:30, 29-Jul-2018
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Pakistan's cricket star turned politician Imran Khan claimed victory Thursday in the country's tense elections, following accusations of poll rigging by rival parties.
"We were successful and we were given a mandate," Khan, 65, said during a live broadcast, adding there was "no politician victimization" in the contest.
He went on to call the elections the "most transparent" in the country's history.
Supporters of Pakistan's cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan celebrate during general election in Lahore, July 25, 2018. /VCG Photo
Supporters of Pakistan's cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan celebrate during general election in Lahore, July 25, 2018. /VCG Photo
During the broadcast, Khan vowed to tackle the corruption that was "eating our country like cancer."
He said in the victory speech that India and Pakistan should resolve their dispute over the divided Kashmir region through talks.
"The leaders of Pakistan and India should sit down at a table and resolve the Kashmir issue," Khan said.
A man reads a newspaper reporting Pakistan's election results in Karachi, Pakistan, July 26, 2018. /VCG Photo
A man reads a newspaper reporting Pakistan's election results in Karachi, Pakistan, July 26, 2018. /VCG Photo
Khan's statement came several hours after his supporters took to the streets to celebrate winning an election that opponents have said the powerful military rigged in his favor.
The unprecedented delay, along with a surprisingly strong lead in early results for Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has fueled widespread fears over the legitimacy of the exercise.
Newspapers and television channels have been predicting victory for the PTI since late Wednesday. By Thursday, partial, unofficial results gave him at least 100 seats so far in the National Assembly, the lower house.
A majority of 137 seats is needed to form a government.
(Read more: Pakistan elections: Who's who and what's at stake)
The Election Commission of Pakistan dismissed allegations of manipulation, blaming the delay on glitches in new, untested counting software.
"These elections were 100 percent fair and transparent," said Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Muhammad Raza early Thursday as the outcry grew.
The campaign season largely boiled down to a two-way race between Khan's PTI and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, whose brother Shahbaz is leading its campaign.
Khan, who captained Pakistan to their World Cup cricket victory in 1992, vowed during the campaign to tackle widespread graft while building an "Islamic welfare state."
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Source(s): AFP
,Reuters