Karachi: In the recent General Elections of 2024, the Member of the National Assembly (MNA) elected from the NA-230 Malir-II constituency garnered a vote share that highlights a significant gap between voter participation and representation. The MNA secured 32,099 votes, representing 31% of the 102,208 ballots cast, but only 13% of the 250,009 registered voters in the constituency.

According to Free and Fair Election Network, the final consolidated results for the constituency indicated a voter turnout of 41%. Despite clinching the seat, the MNA did not have the backing of the majority of voters who participated in the election on February 8, 2024. A total of 67,447 voters, which equates to 66%, cast their ballots for candidates other than the winner.

In the same election, the runner-up candidate received 23% of the votes, and the third-place candidate garnered 15%, while the remaining candidates collectively accounted for 28% of the votes cast. Additionally, 2,662 ballots, or 3%, were declared invalid.

This finding is part of FAFEN's analysis of the electoral representativeness across Pakistan's 266 National Assembly constituencies. The First-Past-The-Post electoral system employed in Pakistan allows a candidate to win a seat with the highest number of votes, irrespective of whether it constitutes a majority. FAFEN's data illustrates how this results in elected members who may lack majority support in many constituencies. In contrast, a proportional representation system would allocate legislative seats in line with the vote shares secured by parties or candidates, reflecting a broader spectrum of voter preferences. The data from Pakistan's GE-2024 underscores the disparity between votes cast and the representation achieved across all constituencies.