Will Imran Khan’s victorious candidates be able to establish a government following the Pakistan election?”

After a divided outcome, Pakistan finds itself in a state of political uncertainty. However, what avenues are available to Imran Khan’s PTI, given that its candidates have secured the majority of seats?”
In Islamabad, Pakistan, five days post the February 8 elections, the nation remains in uncertainty regarding the formation of its next government and the potential prime minister. The elections resulted in a split mandate, with concerns over fairness, manipulation allegations, and prolonged challenges to vote count accuracy. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidates, led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, top the list with at least 96 seats. Following closely is the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) with 75 seats, and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) with 54 seats. Forming a government requires a simple majority of 134 out of the 266 seats in the National Assembly. Coalition possibilities include multiple parties and independents, who can either join a party or form alliances while maintaining individual identities. However, the path of forming a government with PTI-backed independents presents challenges in maintaining stability and accessing reserved seats. The constitution mandates a new National Assembly session within three weeks of elections. PMLN’s Nawaz Sharif has initiated talks for a governing alliance, while the PTI focuses on protesting alleged election result manipulations. PTI insists on not joining major parties and is considering various options. If PTI-backed candidates decide to join another party, they must announce within three days of the official result notification by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The option of forming a new party or declaring as a group of “like-minded” members poses limitations in the current government formation process.