Karachi: In the recent General Elections of 2024, the elected Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from NA-244 Karachi West-I secured a mere 13% of support from registered voters in the constituency, raising questions about the representativeness of the electoral outcome. Despite receiving 20,048 votes, which accounted for 33% of the 60,631 ballots cast, the MNA won the seat under Pakistan's First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) electoral system, which requires only the highest vote share, not a majority, to claim victory.

According to Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), the voter turnout in the constituency was 39%. The election results reveal that the majority of voters who participated did not support the winning candidate, as 39,343 voters, or 65%, cast their votes for other candidates. The runner-up garnered 23% of the votes, while the third-place candidate received 12%. Other candidates collectively secured 29% of the ballots, and 1,240 votes, or 2%, were declared invalid.

This analysis forms part of FAFEN's broader examination of electoral representativeness across Pakistan's 266 National Assembly constituencies. The report underscores a significant gap between the votes cast and the representation secured, highlighting the limitations of the FPTP system. In contrast, a proportional representation system could ensure that legislative seats more accurately reflect voter preferences by allocating seats based on the proportion of votes received. The findings from Pakistan's GE-2024 elections document this gap in all constituencies, emphasizing a need for potential electoral reforms to better capture the democratic will.