Gujranwala: During the General Elections 2024, the Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from NA-80 Gujranwala-IV won the seat with 98,206 votes, which accounted for 41 percent of the 239,527 ballots cast. However, this figure represented only 16 percent of the 601,197 registered voters in the constituency.
According to Free and Fair Election Network, the Final Consolidated Result (Form-49) of the constituency revealed that voter turnout was 40 percent. Despite the win, the elected MNA did not secure the majority of votes from those who participated on February 8, 2024. In fact, 136,049 voters, or 57 percent of those who cast their votes, opted for other candidates, indicating a lack of majority support for the winner.
The runner-up candidate garnered 40 percent of the votes cast, while the third-placed candidate received eight percent. The remaining candidates collectively managed to secure 10 percent of the votes. Additionally, 5,272 ballots, constituting two percent of the total, were declared invalid and did not contribute to any candidate’s tally.
This report is part of a series by FAFEN analyzing the unrepresentativeness of Pakistan’s electoral outcomes. It highlights the potential distortions caused by the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system in multi-candidate contests, where a majority of voters may feel their preferences are not reflected in the electoral results. Such scenarios raise questions about legitimacy and may contribute to political instability.