Imran Khan begins coalition talks

The protests announcement came as observers voiced concerns over claims that the Army had tried to fix the polls in Khan's favour. Pic/AP

Imran Khan's party said it has begun talks with independents and small parties to form a coalition government after a resounding triumph in Pakistan's general election, as rival parties planned protests over alleged vote rigging. Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) won 115 seats in Wednesday's ballot, short of the 137 needed for a simple majority, but a surprisingly strong showing that helped fuel suspicion of rigging.

The party has begun reaching out to potential coalition partners to form a government, according to spokesman Fawad Chaudhry, a task that analysts said should be straightforward. "We have contacted small parties and independent members, they will soon meet party leaders in Islamabad," Chaudhry announced on Friday, adding that the process was likely to take about 10 days.

Chaudhry's comments followed an announcement by rival parties vowing to launch a protest "movement", after foreign observers voiced concerns about the contest. More than a dozen parties calling themselves the All Parties Conference (APC) promised to protest over the results. However the group remained divided with some parties pledging to boycott joining the National Assembly and others calling for a new vote.

The outgoing Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party announced its support for the group, but stopped short of saying it would boycott the new parliament. And the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which was notably absent from the APC, said in a separate announcement that it rejected the results, but vowed to try to convince the other parties to participate in the parliamentary process.

The protests announcement came as the US, the EU and other observers voiced concerns over claims that the powerful military had tried to fix the playing field in Khan's favour. Khan's victory represents an end to decades of rotating leadership between the PML-N and the Pakistan PPP that was punctuated by periods of military rule.

The vote was meant to be a rare democratic transition in the Muslim country, which has been ruled by the powerful army for roughly half its history. But it was marred by violence and allegations of military interference in the months leading up to the vote, with Khan seen as the beneficiary. The former cricket star will face myriad challenges, including extremism, economic crisis, water shortages and a booming population.

115
No. of seats PTI won

137
Total no. of seats required for majority

'Flaws' in Pakistan pre-poll process: US
The US said it was concerned about "flaws" in Pakistan's pre-electoral process, but said it was nonetheless ready to work with the new government. The US State Department acknowledged the election results. However, spokeswoman Heather Nauert said: "The United States shares concerns about flaws in the pre-voting electoral process, as expressed by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan." Those flaws included "constraints placed on freedoms of expression and association during the campaign period that were at odds with Pakistani authorities' stated goal of a fully fair and transparent election," she added.

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