Pakistanis still do not know which party will form their next government or who their next prime minister will be four days after the hotly-contested general elections.
Despite former PM Imran Khan’s detention and the many hurdles thrown at his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), independent candidates backed by the party stunned observers by winning 93 National Assembly seats, the most by any party.
However it is far short of the 169-seat simple majority required to form a government.
The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) of another former PM, Nawaz Sharif, came in second with 75 seats.
Sharif was seen to have the backing of the country’s powerful military and had been expected to coast to victory, five years after he left Pakistan in disgrace.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), led by political blue blood Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, came in third with 54 seats.
The PML-N and PPP – the second and third largest blocs – have confirmed they are now in discussions as to whether to form a coalition government.
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