Former Pakistani Prime Minister calls for general elections after his party’s victory in Punjab elections

The victory of the PTI in the crucial special elections of the largest state in the country returns the former president to the front line

July 17 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The party of ousted Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has won a landslide victory in Sunday’s special elections in the state of Punjab, a result that could even return the former president, who has used the result as a show of force to call for new elections. general elections, at the forefront of national politics.

Candidates from Jan’s party, the Pakistan Justice Movement (PTI) are widely leading the race in at least 16 of 20 constituencies in the country’s largest province, one that pretty much decides the fate of any party with regard to the formation of the federal government. The opposition has already accepted its defeat.

Jan has already reacted on Twitter asking for new elections to be held. “The only way forward from here is to hold free and fair elections. Any other path will only lead to more political uncertainty and more economic chaos,” she said.

The victory means that Jan’s anti-system discourse has permeated the population, who has denounced that the motion of censure that removed him from power in April this year was part of a US conspiracy. Washington has denied any involvement in Pakistan’s domestic politics.

His main rival, the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) of his nemesis, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has accepted the results with resignation.

“The PML-N should accept the results of the secondary votes with an open heart and accept the decision of the masses,” wrote Sharif’s daughter and party leader, Maryam, on her Twitter account, according to GEO TV. .

The PTI was in power in Punjab until March, when its chief minister, Sardar Usman Buzdar, resigned at the time the Pakistani Parliament accepted the no-confidence motion to remove Jan.

Sharif’s party decided to nominate Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi of Sharif’s rival Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid e Azam (PML-Q) as the new Chief Minister of Punjab. However, he ended up losing the election to Sharif’s party candidate, Hamza Shehbaz.

Immediately, Jan and his allies in Punjab declared the elections illegal, assuring that twenty deputies from his own party broke the voting discipline by betting on the ultimately winning candidate. Thus, at the request of the PTI, the Electoral Commission of Pakistan withdrew the notification to the 20 dissenting legislators; the same 20 vacant seats that were up for grabs this Sunday.

PTI sources rule out for the moment that Jan will deliver a triumphant speech this Sunday beyond his reaction on Twitter, and point out that he will first call a meeting of the central committee of party leaders this coming Monday to decide the future course of action, according to the daily ‘Dawn’.

Political experts consulted by Bloomberg believe victory in the crucial election will boost Jan’s demand to convene at a time when Pakistan’s economy is consolidating.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) this week revived a 6 billion euro bailout loan for Pakistan after several months of stagnation due to political turmoil. The country expects another 4 billion friendly countries this month to avoid an imminent default on international liabilities.