After his party won a critical provincial assembly in a shocking by-election surprise, former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan reaffirmed his appeal for early elections.
In Punjab, his PTI party defeated their bitter adversaries the PML-N by winning 15 of the 20 seats up for grabs.
The outcome provides a preview of what might occur in a general election that is scheduled for October 2023 but could happen earlier.
In a vote of no confidence in April, Mr. Khan lost his position as prime minister.
Shehbaz Sharif, the PML-N leader, and the current prime minister has taken a significant hit as a result of the Punjab vote. The future of his already fragile coalition government is now in jeopardy.
The political unrest in Pakistan, which is already suffering from unprecedented inflation and energy shortages, may soon go out of hand.
Punjab, the province with the largest population in Pakistan, has traditionally been a stronghold of support for Mr. Sharif’s PML-N and his older brother, three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
But in the by-elections held on Sunday, the party only took home four of the seats, with one going to an independent candidate.
Following the disqualification of PTI MPs for switching allegiance during a vote to choose Mr. Sharif’s son Hamza as Punjab’s chief minister, by-elections were ordered. His brief tenure in office now appears to be coming to an end.
Imran Khan, however, has the wind at his back. Since he was removed from office, he has been drawing thousands of PTI followers to rallies.
According to analyst Cyril Almeida, Mr. Khan has had only one goal since it became evident he would lose the vote of confidence in parliament: holding new elections as quickly as possible.
Now he can have it, according to Mr. Almeida. “They may try to continue limping. However, Imran is now essentially in control of the government.”
The outcome in Punjab indicates that residents there wanted to let the government know how difficult their economic situation is.
Prices are rising as the government works to address a foreign debt situation that was mostly left over from Imran Khan’s presidency before he was overthrown.
A group that supported early elections already existed within the ruling party, according to journalist and analyst Benazir Shah, but they were ignored.
“Within the PML-N, the voices calling for a quick election may be heard once more. However, it’s possible that none of the PML-allies N’s will consent to an election before October 2023.”
According to Ms. Shah, the outcome in Punjab plainly demonstrates the PTI’s ascendancy.
Without the aid of the military, without the businessmen who had previously supported his election campaigns, and without having any significant electable candidates [who have reliable vote banks] in his camp, Imran Khan was able to clinch this victory for his party, according to her.
But she also warned against extrapolating and interpreting these findings.
The unstable economic condition in Pakistan complicates matters even further for the ruling alliance.
Within weeks of taking power, it was compelled to raise fuel prices significantly and eliminate other subsidies in order to satisfy IMF requirements and resume a $7.2 billion aid package.
