Ghotki: In the recent General Elections of 2024, the elected Member of the National Assembly from NA-198 Ghotki-I secured only 26% of the registered voter support, raising questions about the representativeness of Pakistan’s First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) electoral system. Despite receiving 48% of the 251,157 ballots cast, the winner garnered only 120,259 votes, a mere fraction of the 455,286 registered voters.

According to Free and Fair Election Network, the voter turnout for the constituency was 55%, with 115,063 or 46% of the votes going to other candidates. The runner-up candidate received 36% of the ballots cast, while the third-placed candidate secured 4%. The remaining candidates collectively accounted for 5% of the votes. Additionally, 15,835 or 6% of the ballots were declared invalid.

This analysis forms part of FAFEN's examination of electoral representativeness across Pakistan's 266 National Assembly constituencies. The FPTP system allows candidates to win seats without a majority, often resulting in elected officials who do not have broad-based support. In a proportional representation system, legislative seats are allocated in proportion to the vote shares won, which could better reflect voter preferences. The findings from Pakistan's GE-2024 elections underscore the disparity between votes cast and representation achieved in the National Assembly.