WINNER

Cricket Legend Imran Khan Declares Pakistan Election Victory

But win comes amid claims of fraud.

Imran Khan—one of Pakistan’s greatest ever cricket players—has declared victory in the country’s election, but a win for his party could be overshadowed by opposition claims of fraud. With around half of nationwide votes counted, the cricketer-turned-politician’s spokesperson, Fawad Chaudhry, tweeted: “Congratulations to the nation on a new Pakistan! Prime Minister Imran Khan.” Khan’s leading rival, Shahbaz Sharif, who leads the Pakistan Muslim League, rejected the vote, sparking fears that election losers could delay the formation of a new government. In a tweet on his official page, Sharif said “our democratic process has been pushed back by decades,” adding that “had the public mandate been delivered in a fair manner, we would have accepted it happily.” The Human Rights Commission has also issued a statement saying that in some places women were not allowed to vote, and said in some areas polling staff “appeared to be biased toward a certain party.” Khan is likely to fall short of the 137 seats needed for a majority in the National Assembly, but should be able to find coalition partners from smaller parties and independents.