Gujrat: The Member of the National Assembly from NA-64 Gujrat-III secured victory in the 2024 General Elections with only 18 percent support among registered voters, raising questions about electoral representation. The election results, analyzed by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), shed light on the challenges posed by Pakistan’s First-Past-The-Post system.

According to the Final Consolidated Result (Form-49) for the constituency, the winning candidate received 100,379 votes, representing 44 percent of the 226,911 ballots cast. However, this accounted for just 18 percent of the 551,624 registered voters in the constituency.

Despite the win, the elected MNA did not secure the majority of votes from those who participated in the election on February 8, 2024. A significant 54 percent of voters, or 123,077 individuals, cast their ballots for other candidates, indicating a preference against the winner.

The runner-up candidate garnered 40 percent of the votes, while the third-place contender received 10 percent. The remaining candidates collectively obtained five percent of the ballots. Additionally, 3,455 votes, accounting for two percent of the total, were declared invalid.

FAFEN’s analysis points to a broader issue of unrepresentativeness in Pakistan’s electoral outcomes, emphasizing how the current voting system can distort election results in multi-candidate contests. The report suggests that this lack of representation could lead to questions of legitimacy and potentially contribute to political instability.