Karak: In a revealing outcome from the General Elections 2024, the Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from NA-38 Karak clinched victory with 117,998 votes. This figure accounted for 53 percent of the 221,005 ballots cast but represented only 24 percent of the 486,754 registered voters in the constituency.
The voter turnout in NA-38 was recorded at 45 percent, as per the Final Consolidated Result (Form-49) of the constituency. Notably, NA-38 was among 70 out of 266 National Assembly constituencies where the winner managed to secure 50 percent or more of the polled votes. Nevertheless, a significant portion of the electorate, amounting to 98,260 or 44 percent, chose not to vote for the winning candidate. The winner’s share among the total registered voters thus remained at a mere 24 percent.
The runner-up in the contest garnered 19 percent of the ballots cast, while the third-placed candidate captured seven percent. The remaining candidates collectively secured 18 percent of the votes. Additionally, 4,747 or two percent of the total ballots were declared invalid, meaning they did not contribute to any candidate’s tally.
This analysis is part of the Free and Fair Election Network’s (FAFEN) series, which examines the unrepresentative nature of electoral outcomes in Pakistan. The series emphasizes how the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system can distort representation in multi-candidate electoral contests, a common feature in Pakistan. In such scenarios, a majority of voters may feel unrepresented, raising concerns about legitimacy and potentially fueling political instability.