Islamabad, June 3, 2025: The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) has released its observation report on the recent PP-52 Sialkot by-election, noting that the electoral process was largely peaceful with only minor irregularities reported.
According to the report, a disruption occurred at one polling station where police allegedly intervened during the vote count, removing party agents and observers from the hall and taking election materials and polling staff away. FAFEN reported that it was unable to obtain the official results from this polling station.
Voter turnout saw a slight decline, falling from 50% in the 2024 general elections to 45% in the by-election. Female turnout dropped more significantly—from 47% to 39%—while male turnout declined marginally from 53% to 50%.
The report also highlights a sharp increase in the victory margin, which rose from 8,535 votes in the general election to 39,684 votes in the by-election. The finalization of Form-47 occurred at 1:15 AM—well within the legal deadline of 2:00 AM.
Party performance also shifted notably: the PML-N’s vote share surged from 41% to 59%, while the PTI-backed independent candidate saw a decline from 35% to 29%.
Additional observations from FAFEN include 49% of polling booths did not comply with the legal requirement to call out voters’ names aloud, the counting process at most polling stations was reported to be orderly, form-46 was not provided at 3% of polling stations and interviews with 31 polling agents during counting revealed general satisfaction with the overall process.
FAFEN’s findings suggest that while procedural gaps remain, the by-election was conducted in a largely transparent manner.
