Analysts see no party to get clear majority

FE Team | Published: February 06, 2024 23:51:46

Most analysts anticipate that no single party will secure a clear majority in the upcoming Pakistan election scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday), report agencies.
Consequently, the formation of a coalition government will be necessary.
This implies that decision-making for the incoming administration will be constrained at a time when swift and decisive policy-making is crucial to address the country's multiple crises.
On Tuesday, Pakistan's politicians hit the campaign trail for the final time before the general election.
Pollsters describe the nation of 240 million as being at its most "discouraged" in years.
The upcoming polls, scheduled for Thursday, are overshadowed by the imprisonment of the popular former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the victor of the last national election.
This situation takes center stage despite an ongoing economic crisis and other challenges threatening the nuclear-armed country.
Despite Imran Khan's incarceration and his party being barred from contesting as a bloc, many observers believe that the field is open for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to secure the most seats. This could potentially lead to a fourth term as the country's premier for PML-N's founder, Nawaz Sharif.
While candidates loyal to Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari could still play a decisive role, a generally lackluster campaign season and voter apathy suggest a low voter turnout on Thursday.
"The political atmosphere ahead of Pakistan's first general election since 2018 is equally as glum as the economic one," remarked polling agency Gallup.
The South Asian nation of 241 million people is reeling from decades-high inflation and an economy that has come to a grinding halt as it navigates a tough International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programme.
Islamist militancy is on the rise and relations with three neighbours - India, Afghanistan and Iran - are frayed. But these matters have been mostly absent from the election fray, in which the parties of Khan and Nawaz Sharif, another former prime minister, are the main rivals.