Independent candidates linked to former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan won the most seats in the country's national election, a final tally by the election commission showed Sunday.
Khan-backing independents won 101 of the 264 seats, while the party of another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, won 75 seats. The Pakistan's People's Party (PPP) which backed ex-Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari came third with 54 seats. Eleven other parties received a total of 34 seats in the National Assembly.
Khan — who is currently in prison — and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party were blocked from running in the election, so the supporters of Khan had to run as independents.
Both Khan's PTI and Sharif's party, the Muslim League (PML-N) have claimed victory. But as the PML-N becomes the single largest party in parliament, it is likely to have the best chance at forming a coalition. It has already started to seek partners.
Internet shut down over post-election clashes
The final tally was released over 60 hours after voting concluded in Thursday's national elections, a delay that has raised questions about the process.
The vote was overshadowed by a shutdown of internet services due to several bouts of organized violence in the country as well as allegations of manipulation.
There were initially no results from two constituencies; in one of the cases, there was no vote because of the murder of a candidate.
Military urges 'unity'
Ahead of the final results, Pakistan's powerful military called on politicians to show "political maturity and unity" amid questions regarding the election.
"Elections are not a zero-sum competition of winning and losing but an exercise to determine the mandate of the people," army chief General Syed Asim Munir said in a statement.
"The nation needs stable hands and a healing touch to move on from the politics of anarchy and polarization," the statement added.
