[h=3]By YAROSLAV TROFIMOV and SAEED SHAH Lahore, Pakistan and ANNABEL SYMINGTON in Islamabad[/h] Voters lined up to cast their ballots in Pakistan's election on Saturday, braving Taliban threats to disrupt one of the most closely contested races in the country's history.
In the battleground province of Punjab, which contributes more than half of national parliament seats, it seemed in the initial hours of voting that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of former cricket star Imran Khan was having a strong showing, interviews with voters indicated.
Still, it wasn't clear whether this surge in support for Mr. Khan, who campaigned on promises to clean up Pakistani politics and reassess Pakistan's ties with the U.S., would derail the front-runner in the election, the Pakistan Muslim League of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who hopes to form the next government of the world's fifth-largest democracy.
[h=3]Election Day[/h]
Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
If successful, this election would mark the first time since Pakistan's creation in 1947 that a civilian government served a full five-year term and transferred power to another elected administration. The outgoing government led by President Asif Ali Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party was widely perceived as corrupt, and PPP is expected to lose many of its parliament seats this election.
The Pakistani Taliban have focused their campaign of violence and intimidation on the PPP and its two secular allies, the Muttahida Qaumi Movemevent and the Awami National Party, a secular movement representing ethnic Pashtuns. In the biggest attack on the election so far, at least 10 people were killed Saturday morning in twin bombings targeting an ANP in the Landhi area of the southern city of Karachi, a police official said. Pakistani TV networks also reported an explosion in the Bannu area of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Both Mr. Sharif's PML-N and Mr. Khan's PTI draw much of their support from Punjab, the country's wealthiest province, and the election is particularly hard-fought in Lahore, the provincial capital and the country's second largest city. PML-N won all 11 parliament seats in Lahore in the 2008 election, which PTI had boycotted.
On Saturday morning, even in the Lahore constituency that Mr. Sharif himself is contesting, NA-120, many voters said they cast their ballots for a PTI candidate, a female doctor named Yasmin Rashid.
"We have to elect a leader who is not corrupt. If we can stop corruption, this will make a big difference," said sales clerk Zaffar Salam, 33, who came out to vote for PTI with his wife, Rabia, carrying one of his two daughters on his shoulders. In the previous election he voted for PML-N.
Outside the polling station in Lahore's King Edward Medical University, 50-year-old tailor Shabir Hussain said he was also casting his vote for PTI. "We need change, and Imran Khan is an honest new leader," he said. "I'm sure 100% he will be the next prime minister."
Still, there were plenty of supporters of Mr. Sharif at the station, many of them wearing pins with the image of a tiger—the PML-N electoral symbol. "I'm with the tiger," said 60-year-old crockery vendor Mohammed Azem. "He's done such hard work for us, building all these motorways and infrastructure."
Agence France-Presse/Getty Images Voting lines began to form before polling stations opened Saturday morning.
"Nobody is as experienced as Nawaz. He is a very mature man. If some other person wins, the country will be in trouble," echoed S.A. Raoof, 77, an income tax preparer.
In Lahore's NA-122 constituency, where Mr. Khan is running, it appeared to be a tough fight. "It's 50-50," said Mohammad Ashraf, 50, as he waited to vote.
"We will vote for education, that means PTI. Once people are educated, they can't be fooled by the old politicians any more," said Mohammad Imran, a 20-year-old business studies student.
Abdul Rehman, 77, a retired clerk, was unconvinced. "All those above 40 are with Muslim League-N, mature seasoned people. Those that pray five times a day are with N," he said.
In the NA-48 constituency in Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, it was hard to find anyone who admitted to having voted for a party other than PTI.
Many voters said Saturday morning that the lines were much longer than in 2008. A high turnout, analysts say, is likely to benefit PTI, which appeals to young and first-time voters.
"I voted at a similar time last time and there was no queue," said Ali Raza, 24. "This itself speaks volumes."
Tariq Nadeem, 57, was one of these first-time voters. "I hate standing in queues but only for PTI, only for Imran Khan, I come," he said. He said had come to vote with his wife, two daughters and son, who he said were all voting for the former cricketer's party.
Not everyone was swept up in enthusiasm for elections. Outside the Punjab provincial legislature in Lahore, supporters of populist preacher Tahir ul-Qadri, who led massive anticorruption marches earlier this year, Saturday organized a sit-in that called on Pakistanis to boycott the vote. Many protesters wore T-shirts saying "Vote for None" as loudspeakers blared the chants of "Inqilab," or revolution.
Many of these protesters were teens, not old enough vote. "This is a corrupt system and a corrupt election," said one of these protesters, 17-year-old Talha Mehboob. "We may be unable to cast a vote ourselves, but we can stop others from voting," added another campaigner, 18-year-old Mohammed Taher.
In the battleground province of Punjab, which contributes more than half of national parliament seats, it seemed in the initial hours of voting that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of former cricket star Imran Khan was having a strong showing, interviews with voters indicated.
Still, it wasn't clear whether this surge in support for Mr. Khan, who campaigned on promises to clean up Pakistani politics and reassess Pakistan's ties with the U.S., would derail the front-runner in the election, the Pakistan Muslim League of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who hopes to form the next government of the world's fifth-largest democracy.
[h=3]Election Day[/h]
Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
If successful, this election would mark the first time since Pakistan's creation in 1947 that a civilian government served a full five-year term and transferred power to another elected administration. The outgoing government led by President Asif Ali Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party was widely perceived as corrupt, and PPP is expected to lose many of its parliament seats this election.
The Pakistani Taliban have focused their campaign of violence and intimidation on the PPP and its two secular allies, the Muttahida Qaumi Movemevent and the Awami National Party, a secular movement representing ethnic Pashtuns. In the biggest attack on the election so far, at least 10 people were killed Saturday morning in twin bombings targeting an ANP in the Landhi area of the southern city of Karachi, a police official said. Pakistani TV networks also reported an explosion in the Bannu area of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Both Mr. Sharif's PML-N and Mr. Khan's PTI draw much of their support from Punjab, the country's wealthiest province, and the election is particularly hard-fought in Lahore, the provincial capital and the country's second largest city. PML-N won all 11 parliament seats in Lahore in the 2008 election, which PTI had boycotted.
On Saturday morning, even in the Lahore constituency that Mr. Sharif himself is contesting, NA-120, many voters said they cast their ballots for a PTI candidate, a female doctor named Yasmin Rashid.
"We have to elect a leader who is not corrupt. If we can stop corruption, this will make a big difference," said sales clerk Zaffar Salam, 33, who came out to vote for PTI with his wife, Rabia, carrying one of his two daughters on his shoulders. In the previous election he voted for PML-N.
Outside the polling station in Lahore's King Edward Medical University, 50-year-old tailor Shabir Hussain said he was also casting his vote for PTI. "We need change, and Imran Khan is an honest new leader," he said. "I'm sure 100% he will be the next prime minister."
Still, there were plenty of supporters of Mr. Sharif at the station, many of them wearing pins with the image of a tiger—the PML-N electoral symbol. "I'm with the tiger," said 60-year-old crockery vendor Mohammed Azem. "He's done such hard work for us, building all these motorways and infrastructure."
Agence France-Presse/Getty Images Voting lines began to form before polling stations opened Saturday morning.
"Nobody is as experienced as Nawaz. He is a very mature man. If some other person wins, the country will be in trouble," echoed S.A. Raoof, 77, an income tax preparer.
In Lahore's NA-122 constituency, where Mr. Khan is running, it appeared to be a tough fight. "It's 50-50," said Mohammad Ashraf, 50, as he waited to vote.
"We will vote for education, that means PTI. Once people are educated, they can't be fooled by the old politicians any more," said Mohammad Imran, a 20-year-old business studies student.
Abdul Rehman, 77, a retired clerk, was unconvinced. "All those above 40 are with Muslim League-N, mature seasoned people. Those that pray five times a day are with N," he said.
In the NA-48 constituency in Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, it was hard to find anyone who admitted to having voted for a party other than PTI.
Many voters said Saturday morning that the lines were much longer than in 2008. A high turnout, analysts say, is likely to benefit PTI, which appeals to young and first-time voters.
"I voted at a similar time last time and there was no queue," said Ali Raza, 24. "This itself speaks volumes."
Tariq Nadeem, 57, was one of these first-time voters. "I hate standing in queues but only for PTI, only for Imran Khan, I come," he said. He said had come to vote with his wife, two daughters and son, who he said were all voting for the former cricketer's party.
Not everyone was swept up in enthusiasm for elections. Outside the Punjab provincial legislature in Lahore, supporters of populist preacher Tahir ul-Qadri, who led massive anticorruption marches earlier this year, Saturday organized a sit-in that called on Pakistanis to boycott the vote. Many protesters wore T-shirts saying "Vote for None" as loudspeakers blared the chants of "Inqilab," or revolution.
Many of these protesters were teens, not old enough vote. "This is a corrupt system and a corrupt election," said one of these protesters, 17-year-old Talha Mehboob. "We may be unable to cast a vote ourselves, but we can stop others from voting," added another campaigner, 18-year-old Mohammed Taher.