Imran Khan-backed candidates lead as Pakistan election results announced

In the recent parliamentary elections held in Pakistan on February 8, 2023, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by Imran Khan has declared victory and is expected to form the next government. According to various reports, as of Saturday afternoon, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had announced results for 253 out of 266 National Assembly constituencies. Independent candidates, many of whom are backed by PTI, have taken the most seats, with at least 93 of these independents supporting PTI. Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (PMLN) is in second place with 73 seats. Khan's party, PTI, appeared to win approximately 97 seats based on early results. The unexpected popularity of PTI and its leader can be attributed to their combative stance and effective use of social media to bypass censorship in recent months. Despite efforts by the opposition and the military/intelligence apparatus to influence the outcome, the elections have resulted in an unexpected win for PTI. However, full results are still not in for nine of the 265 contested seats.