Islamabad, December 23, 2024: The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) has highlighted significant differences between the number of votes cast for National Assembly (NA) and provincial assembly (PA) seats during the 2024 general elections, particularly in Punjab and Sindh. Punjab alone recorded a discrepancy of over half a million votes, with 37.06 million votes cast for NA seats compared to 36.55 million for PA seats. Sindh observed a smaller difference, with 11.41 million votes cast for NA seats versus 11.34 million for PA seats.
In contrast, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan reported higher votes for PA seats than NA seats, with 29,114 and 28,875 additional votes cast, respectively.
On election day, voters receive two ballots: one for the NA and another for the PA. FAFEN attributes the discrepancies to factors such as ballots being rejected for one contest but accepted for the other, as well as voter preferences to cast ballots for only one of the two contests. Islamabad’s lack of PA elections also contributed to the variation, with its 0.59 million votes accounting for part of the overall difference.
Invalid Votes and Their Impact
The report notes that the number of invalid votes was higher in PA elections (1.84 million) than in NA elections (1.77 million), directly influencing the differences in valid vote counts. Across the board, NA contests saw 1.12 million more valid votes than PA contests.
Party Performance and Seat Distribution
The 2024 elections reflected a consolidation of votes among major parties. The PPP maintained dominance in Sindh, while the PTI solidified its position in KP. In Punjab, the rivalry between the PML-N and PTI intensified, transitioning from PML-N’s 2013 dominance to a competitive landscape in 2018 and 2024.
In NA elections, PTI narrowly led with a one-point advantage over PML-N, while in PA elections, PML-N edged out PTI by a single point. Overall, major parties secured a larger share of seats compared to their vote percentages:
- PTI:
- KP: 45% of votes led to 80% of NA seats and 75% of PA seats.
- Punjab: 35% of votes resulted in 38% of NA seats and 37% of PA seats.
- PPP:
- Sindh: 46% of votes translated to 72% of NA seats and 65% of PA seats.
- PML-N:
- Punjab: 34% of votes yielded 48% of NA seats and 47% of PA seats.
- Balochistan: 14% of votes led to 25% of NA seats and 24% of PA seats.
Other parties and independents, despite securing 21% of total votes, won only 13% of seats, underscoring the dominance of major parties. MQM-P, JUI-F, and TLP also garnered notable shares of votes and seats.
Turnout insights
Voter turnout for NA elections surpassed that for PA elections across all provinces, with the largest difference observed in Balochistan (0.8%), followed by Punjab (0.4%), Sindh (0.3%), and KP (0.3%).
Vote breakdown
The PTI secured 30% of votes in NA contests (18.03 million) and 26% in PA contests (15.38 million), winning 33% of NA seats (88) and 34% of PA seats (201). The PML-N followed with 24% NA votes (14.12 million) and 22% PA votes (12.63 million), capturing 28% of NA seats (75) and 26% of PA seats (156). The PPP received 14% of votes in both NA (8.24 million) and PA (8.16 million) contests, winning 20% of NA seats (54) and 18% of PA seats (109).
Smaller parties and independent candidates performed better in PA contests, yet their share of seats remained disproportionately low.
