 "Pakistan")
Pakistan held re-polls at multiple booths on Thursday, a decision taken by the top electoral body in response to allegations about the February 8 elections being rigged.
The fresh polls are being conducted at as many as 25 stations in PK-90 Kohat-I, a constituency of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, the Dawn reported. The re-polling will also happen at 26 stations in NA-88 (Khushab II) constituency in Punjab province and the two stations of PS-18 (Ghotki I) constituency in Sindh province.
Results of these stations were held after reports of vandalisation of booths and ballot boxes. Many regional parties held protests over the incident, seeking fresh polls after the results were declared on Sunday.
Voters were seen queuing outside polling stations as the re-polling was being done amid increased security measures.
Coalition government likely in Pakistan
Political unrest shadowed Pakistan following the latest general election results, in which jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) emerged as a winner. In response, Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) have decided to set aside their differences to come together and form a coalition government, with Nawaz's brother Shehbaz Sharif at the helm.
According to the result, PTI's independent candidates won 101 seats, PML-N won 75, and PPP got 54 seats.
PML-N secures support of PTI's independent candidates
PML-N, technically the largest party in the Parliament, is scrambling to secure the support of independent candidates to raise its tally in the National Assembly and Punjab's Provincial Assembly. In a blow to PTI, three of its independent candidates, elected to Punjab's provincial assembly, have also joined Nawaz's party.
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To form the government, at least 133 seats are in the 265 contested seats of the National Assembly. Overall, the assembly consists of 336 seats and 169 seats are required to secure a majority.
The country has four provincial assemblies - Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh.
Notably, ex-PM Nawaz has himself withdrawn from the race but nominated his daughter Maryam Nawaza for the post of the Chief Minister of Pakistan's Punjab province, the largest by population.
