ISLAMABAD, January 26, 2025: A new report from the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) reveals that in 18% of communities during the 2024 General Elections, women voters chose different winners from their male counterparts.
The report, which analyzed 42,804 male and female polling stations across 21,188 communities, found that in 82% of cases, men and women voted for the same candidate. However, in the remaining 18%, their voting preferences differed. Urban areas saw more variation in voting patterns compared to rural ones.
Islamabad had the highest divergence, with 37% of communities returning different winners between male and female polling stations. Balochistan followed with 32%, Sindh with 19%, Punjab with 18%, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 13%.
According to report, in the 3,884 communities where women’s voting choices differed:
- Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) received the most support from women, winning in 1,260 communities.
- Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was favored in 1,027 communities.
- Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) garnered support in 694 communities.
While PTI saw widespread support from women nationwide, PML-N was strong in Punjab, and PPPP dominated Sindh.
In 37 constituencies, the majority of female voters did not support the eventual winner. In 226 constituencies, women’s votes aligned with the overall winner, with 166 of these seeing a higher proportion of women supporting the winner than men.
In seven constituencies, the outcome was heavily influenced by female voters. For example, in NA-43 Tank-cum-Dera Ismail Khan, PTI narrowly defeated JUI-F by 555 votes, with female polling stations alone giving PTI a decisive 1,430-vote lead.
