Post date: May 11, 2013 9:9:50 PM
Pakistan's Nawaz Sharif declares victory in a jubilant speech to supporters as results from Saturday's election show a clear lead for his party, making it almost certain he will become prime minister of the country for a third time.
LAHORE, PAKISTAN (MAY 11, 2013) (REUTERS) - Toppled in a coup, jailed and later exiled, Nawaz Sharif made a triumphant comeback 14 years later in Pakistan's election on Saturday (May 11), and now looks set for a third term as prime minister.
The elections were a landmark, marking the first time an elected government will replace another, and many hoped it might also break the hold of dynastic politicians in a country struggling with years of misrule and corruption.But Sharif, a wealthy steel magnate from the pivotal Punjab province, held off a challenge from former cricket star Imran Khan who had hoped to end decades of dominance by Sharif's party and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) led by the Bhutto family.
Sharif, 63, declared victory in a jubilant speech to supporters as results from Saturday's election showed an overwhelming lead for his party.
"The results are coming in, and all of us know that it has been confirmed that, God willing, the Muslim League is emerging as the biggest party. Please pray that by the morning the results are so good that we can form a government without having to rely on crutches (of coalition partners)," he declared to hoots of joy from the crowd in Punjab's capital, Lahore.
The election, in which 86 million people were eligible to vote, will bring the first transition between civilian governments in a country that has been ruled by the military for more than half of its turbulent history.
Despite pre-election violence and attacks on Saturday that killed at least 17 people, millions turned out to cast a ballot.
With the count continuing into the night, Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) was leading in 119 of the 272 National Assembly seats that were contested.
Sharif's lead means he is almost certain to become prime minister again, a triumphant return for a political leader who was ousted in a military coup in 1999.
It remains to be seen, however, if his PML-N will have enough lawmakers to rule on its own or be forced to seek coalition allies, which could make it difficult to push reforms desperately needed to revive a near-failed economy.
The next government will have to contend with Taliban militancy, endemic corruption, chronic power cuts and crumbling infrastructure in the nuclear-armed country of 180 million people. One of the first likely tasks will be to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a multi-billion-dollar bailout.
"For the sake of the nation, for your sake, for the sake of Pakistan's 180 million people, and in order to end this wretched load shedding, unemployment, poverty and inflation, I want to ask them (opponents) to come and sit with us," Sharif said.
It is now clear that a dark-horse challenge by the party of former cricket star Imran Khan did not have the momentum needed to trip up Sharif, a moneyed political veteran who has long relied on a patronage system to win votes, especially in the key province of Punjab.
Still, Khan's Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) looked set to squeak into second place thanks to support from urban youths, who rallied behind his calls for an end to corruption and a halt to U.S. drone strikes against suspected militants on Pakistani soil.