ISLAMABAD: The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) has released an analysis of Pakistan’s electoral outcomes from 2002 to 2024, highlighting a persistent representation gap in the country’s elections.
The report suggests that national and provincial assemblies continue to be elected with the mandate of less than a quarter of registered voters and only about half of the votes cast.
FAFEN’s data shows little improvement in electoral representation over the past two decades. In 2002, the National Assembly was elected with the support of 20% of registered voters and 47% of cast votes. This slightly increased to 22% and 50% in 2008. The assemblies formed in 2013, 2018, and 2024 represented 26%, 22%, and 21% of registered voters, respectively, with cast vote support standing at 48%, 43%, and 45%.
The report further revealed that in the 2024 general elections, no candidate in any of the 265 constituencies secured a majority of registered voters’ support. In 202 constituencies, the winning candidates had less than 25% backing from registered voters, while in 63 constituencies, successful candidates secured between 25% and 50% of registered voters’ support.
Only 69 constituencies had winners with more than 50% of cast votes, while 196 constituencies saw victors securing less than half of the votes cast.
A similar trend was observed in the provincial assemblies, where only two constituencies had candidates who secured more than 50% of registered voters’ support, whereas in 499 constituencies, the winning candidates received backing from less than 25% of registered voters.
FAFEN also criticised Pakistan’s First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) electoral system, stating that it worsens the representation crisis by allowing candidates to win without securing the majority’s support. The organisation urged Parliament to reconsider the FPTP system and introduce electoral reforms to enhance voter participation and ensure more representative governance.
