Pakistan Election Turnout Drops to 47.6% - FAFEN

Islamabad, Feb 14 (PTI) Pakistan recorded 47.6 per cent voter turnout in the February 8 election, which was lower than the previous one in 2018 when 52.1 per cent of voters cast the ballot, it emerged on Wednesday.

Almost a week later, there is no government in place in the country following the fractured mandate.

The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), an independent election observer body, launched its report about the voters' turnout in the general elections last week to elect representatives for the national assembly and four provincial assemblies.

According to a report, as many as 60.6 million voters exercised their right to vote in Pakistan's 12th general elections (GE), showing that nearly 5.8 million more people voted in the elections as compared to 2018 when 54.8 million had cast their votes.

“Despite the increase in the absolute number of voters, the turnout dipped from 52.1 per cent in 2018 to 47.6 per cent in 2024,” FAFEN said, adding that the number of registered voters increased from 106 million in 2018 to 128.6 million in 2024, following a record addition of 22.6 million between the two elections.

The low turnout was due to the harsh winter in parts of the country, fears of violence and terrorism in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces as well as an uncertainty about the conduct of elections may have also adversely affected the turnout, it said.