al jazeera

By Federica Marsi

     Pakistan faces a period of deal-making after election results showed no clear majority.

    As final results still trickle in, independent candidates loyal to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan defied expectations to take the lead.
   Both Khan and his main rival, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declare victory in the election.
   The election was marred by violence by armed groups and a widely criticised suspensionof mobile phone services that prompted accusations of “political engineering”.

    The PPP’s Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said there cannot be a formation of a federal government, as well as in Punjab and Balochistan provinces, without his party.

    “We don’t know the whole count nor have independents announced their decisions,” he told Geo News. “No government will be able to solve the public’s problems without addressing the political toxicity,” added the former foreign minister.

    “The central executive committee of PPP had named me as the PM candidate but if we have to change that another meeting needs to be called and we will decide on how to move forward.”

    Can Pakistan form a government on split election results?

By Abid Hussain

    Two days after polls close, a split mandate has emerged among the big three political powers and there is little clarity about the next day.

    With such a split, the big question now rests on who will be able to form a government in Pakistan, a country of 241 million people which has suffered a turbulent two years with political instability, an economy on the verge of default and rising internal security challenges.

    What are the possible scenarios for formation of next government?

    Pakistani analyst Zaigham Khan says there are two possible scenarios after the announcement of preliminary results.

    “The most likely scenario is a coalition government that includes all political parties – minus the PTI,” Khan told Al Jazeera. This will include the two largest political parties, PPP and PMLN, as well as MQM, Jamaat-e-Islami and others.

    “The second scenario, less likely but technically possible, is the PPP joining hands with the PTI and forming a government,” the analyst said. The PTI-affiliated candidates who ran as independents have gathered the largest number of seats.

    Khan said not many people in Pakistan believe in the legitimacy of the next government amid allegations of rigging and this will have implication for the political and economic stability of Pakistan.

    “Political stability will elude Pakistan for some time to come,” he said.