In GE-2024, the elected Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from NA-224 Sujawal secured 134,056 votes – 67% of the 199,181 ballots cast, but only 32% of the 424,333 registered voters in the constituency. Under Pakistan’s First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) electoral system, a candidate needs only the highest vote share to win a seat – not a majority.
According to a report by Fafen today, the Final Consolidated Result (Form-49) of the constituency say the voter turnout stood at 47 percent. NA-224 was among 70 out of 266 National Assembly constituencies where the winner could secure 50% or more of the polled votes. Still, a substantial share of voters, 51,993, or 26%, did not vote for the winner. Moreover, the share of the winner among the total registered voters also remained only 32%.
The runner-up candidate secured 8% of the ballots cast; the third-placed candidate received 5%, while the remaining candidates collectively secured 13% of votes cast. A total of 13,132, or 7%, were declared invalid.
This story is part of FAFEN’s constituency-wise analysis of electoral representativeness across Pakistan’s 266 National Assembly constituencies. Under Pakistan’s First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) electoral system, the candidate with the highest vote total wins the seat regardless of whether they command a majority of votes cast. FAFEN’s data document that this produces elected members who, in many constituencies, do not carry majority support. Under a proportional representation (PR) system, by contrast, legislative seats are allocated in proportion to the vote shares won by parties or candidates – ensuring that a broader range of voter preferences is reflected in elected bodies. Pakistan’s GE-2024 data show the documented gap between votes cast and representation secured across all 266 National Assembly constituencies.