Pakistan, which has a record-breaking 128 million registered voters, is getting ready for its general elections on February 8. A study from the Free and Fair Election Network claims that during 2018, there has been a notable rise in voters—22.5 million more—of which 12.5 million were women. Amazingly, Pakistan is currently the world’s fifth-largest democracy, with 53.2% of the population voting.
Even with these gains, there are still regional differences: Punjab has the highest voter registration percentage (57%), while Balochistan has the lowest (36%).
Thanks to coordinated efforts by the Election Commission, NADRA, and civil society, efforts to close the gender gap in voter registration have made headway. But there are still issues, especially in Balochistan.
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