The recently elected Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from NA-77 Gujranwala-I secured the seat despite a majority of constituents who cast their ballots on February 8, 2024, voting for other candidates, a new analysis by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) has revealed.
Free and Fair Election Network reported today that the victorious candidate amassed 109,704 votes. While this was enough to win the contest, it represented only 43 percent of the 252,205 valid ballots cast in the constituency.
The data indicates that a larger bloc of 135,084 voters, constituting 54 percent of those who participated in the election, chose not to support the winner, instead casting their votes for rival contenders.
A breakdown of the electoral results shows the runner-up candidate secured 36 percent of the vote, while the third-placed contender received seven percent. The remaining candidates collectively accounted for 10 percent of the ballots. Additionally, 7,417 votes, or three percent of the total, were declared invalid.
The FAFEN report further highlights that the winner”s mandate represents a fraction of the total electorate. With 483,104 registered voters in the electoral area, the MNA”s support base accounts for only 23 percent of all eligible constituents. The overall voter turnout was recorded at 52 percent.
This story is part of a wider FAFEN series analysing the unrepresentativeness of Pakistan’s electoral outcomes. The network”s research examines how the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system can distort representation, particularly in multi-candidate contests common in the country.
FAFEN suggests that in such electoral scenarios, a majority of voters can feel their voice is not reflected in the outcome. This may lead to questions surrounding the legitimacy of the elected representative and could potentially contribute to political instability.