Dera Ghazi Khan: In a recent analysis of the 2024 General Elections in Pakistan, the Member of the National Assembly (MNA) elected from NA-186 Dera Ghazi Khan-III secured only 26% of the registered voter support. This outcome has sparked discussions about the effectiveness of the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system used in the country.

According to Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), the elected MNA received 100,252 votes, which constituted 46% of the votes cast from a total of 216,892 ballots, in an election with a 56% voter turnout. Despite winning the seat, the MNA did not garner the support of the majority of voters who participated on February 8, 2024, as 52% of them voted for other candidates.

The election's runner-up secured 45% of the votes, narrowly missing out on the seat, while the third-placed candidate received 2%, and the remaining candidates collectively accounted for 5%. Additionally, 2% of the votes, amounting to 4,420 ballots, were declared invalid.

FAFEN's constituency-wise analysis underscores the disparities created by the FPTP electoral system, where the candidate with the highest number of votes wins, irrespective of whether they achieve a majority. This analysis forms part of FAFEN's broader investigation into electoral representativeness across Pakistan’s 266 National Assembly constituencies, highlighting how the FPTP system often does not reflect a majority of voter preferences. In contrast, a proportional representation system would allocate legislative seats in line with vote shares, potentially capturing a wider spectrum of voter intent. The analysis of the GE-2024 data reveals the gap between votes cast and the representation achieved under the current system.