Nawaz Sharif declares victory in Pakistan election, death toll from attacks rises to 29
Pakistan’s Nawaz Sharif has declared victory in the country’s general elections as preliminary results showed a clear lead for his party as the death toll across the country rose to 29.
Militant attacks continue the violence of what has been a bloody election season, with more than 130 people killed in bombings and shootings. Some are calling this one of the deadliest votes in the country’s history.
Twenty-nine people were reportedly killed across the country on Saturday, but voting proceeded peacefully at a majority of the 70,000 polling stations. The Pakistani Taliban had vowed to disrupt the elections and claimed responsibility for several of the attacks during the campaign.
Turnout in Saturday’s vote was nearly 60 percent, the election commission said, which according to official statistics is the highest since 1977.
The election will bring the first transition between civilian governments in a country that has been ruled by the military for more than half of its turbulent history.
Sharif, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), thanked his supporters as he addressed a crowd of about 300 people at his campaign headquarters in Lahore.
“Through this vote and campaign I have felt how much love Pakistan has for me. And I have twice as much love for you,” he told his supporters.
“Thank God that he has given us the chance to help you, to help Pakistan, to help the young people. We will fulfil all the promises that we have made.”
Former cricket star Imran Khan did not have the momentum needed to defeat the highly funded Sharif, a political veteran who has long relied on a patronage system to win votes, especially in the key province of Punjab.
Khan’s Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) looked set to squeak into second place thanks to support from urban youths, who rallied behind his calls for an end to corruption and a halt to US drone strikes against armed groups on Pakistani soil.
