17,816 people nationwide are running for office

On Thursday (today), in the midst of a difficult law and order scenario, more than 128 million voters will cast ballots in the general election, putting the nerves of the caretaker setup and the entire security apparatus to the test.

Of all registered voters, women make up 46% (59.3 million) and males 54% (69.2 million). Nonetheless, over 56 million young voters in the 18–25 and 26–35 age groups are thought to have the ability to influence legislative decisions.

There will be 28.74 million voters between the ages of 36 and 45 in this thrilling election.

Voting will start at 8 a.m. and go nonstop until 5 p.m.

After the allotted time has passed, anyone present at a polling place may exercise their right to vote. The National Assembly members will be chosen by the public, and they will thereafter select the next prime minister by majority vote.

In a similar vein, the electorate will choose representatives for each of the four provincial assemblies, who in turn choose the chief ministers.

Under security cover given by the police and other law-enforcement agencies, over 260 million ballots—half of them green and half white—have already been printed and delivered to the presiding officers by road and air to over 90,000 polling sites.

The Election Commission of Pakistan released data showing that 17,816 candidates are running, 12,695 of whom are for seats in provincial assemblies and 5,121 of whom are for seats in the National Assembly.

There are 16,930 men, 882 women, and 4 transgender individuals among them. 6,031 candidates from the major parties are running, including 5,726 men and 275 women. A record 11,785 independent candidates entered the race, comprising 11,174 men, 607 women, and four transgender individuals.

For the 266 general seats of the National Assembly, the political parties have put up 1,873 male and 93 female candidates, according to the Election Commission. There are also 3,248 independent candidates in the race, consisting of 3,027 males, 2,019 females, and two transgender candidates.

Comparably, 12,695 candidates—12,123 men, 570 women, and two transgender people—are running for 593 provincial assembly seats.

Almost half of the 90,675 polling places that have been set up nationwide have been classified as sensitive or very sensitive.

648,000 security personnel—137,000 military and 511,000 police—have been assigned to voting places in order to protect both voters and poll workers. The electoral code of conduct has already been released by the commission.

In Quick Response Force mode, the army will act as a third line of defense; however, outside more than 18,000 extremely sensitive polling places, two army personnel will be stationed each. The presiding officers’ requirements will determine their admission into the polling places.

Soon after the polls close, the counting will start, and preliminary results should be available in a few hours. In order to expedite the tabulation of results, the Election Commission implemented the Election Management technology (EMS), and it is anticipated that this new technology will operate flawlessly.

For the first time in the past five years, a no-trust motion forced a prime minister to return home. For various reasons, a number of well-known politicians are not running for office, including Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Asfandyar Wali, Imran Khan, and Ch. Shujaat Hussain.

After a hiatus, former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is returning to the nation and seeking a fourth term as head of state.

A coalition administration is expected to be formed following the elections due to widespread speculation that, given the current political and electoral climate, no political party in the Center may be able to form the government.

Independents are predicted to mostly determine the makeup of legislatures, aside from young people.

Additionally, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has put forth independent candidates. It will be vital for them to align, as mandated by the rules, within three days of the returned candidates’ publication, and influential political figures will be courting them for support. 169 of the 336 members in total have the ability to create a simple majority government.

Four national and provincial assembly constituencies have already ended the election process due to the passing of candidates. These are located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in PK-91 Kohat, PK-22 Bajaur, PP-266 Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, and NA-8 Bajaur.

In a related development, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has been instructed by the Election Commission to hold all of these channels responsible and guarantee compliance with Section 182 of the Elections Act 2017 and the commission’s Code of Conduct for National Media. The Election Commission has taken notice of the ongoing airing of political statements, ads, and texts on electronic media.

Pemra has been reminded by the commission that, as per Section 182 of the Elections Act, 2017 and the commission’s Code of Conduct for National Media, election campaigns, advertisements, and other written materials cannot be broadcast on electronic or print media after midnight on February 6. Channels found to be in violation of this ban will face severe consequences.

A representative for the Election Commission has said that an official of the Information Group, Pir Suleman Shah Rashdi, has been suspended by the commission for misconduct and violating the rule of conduct by endorsing the candidates of a specific political party through a video message. He did, however, clarify that the officer will be entitled to his pay, perks, and allowances while he is suspended.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has declared that internet service will remain available throughout the nation in the interim. The Authority declared in a statement that there won’t be a blackout of the internet on election day.