How will Pakistan vote in the 2024 general election?

Pakistan is gearing up for its next general election, scheduled to be held on 8 February 2024, to elect the members of the 16th National Assembly. The election will be a crucial test for the country’s democracy, stability, and development, as it faces many challenges and opportunities in the domestic and international arena. The main contenders for the election are Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), led by Gohar Ali Khan, who is the caretaker Prime Minister after Imran Khan was removed from office in a no-confidence motion in April 2022, Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N), led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who returned from self-imposed exile in London in October 2023, and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), led by former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

What do the opinion polls say?

Various organization’s have been conducting opinion polls to gauge the voting intention and the approval rating of the civilian Pakistani government, led by Imran Khan’s PTI until 10 April 2022 and then by Shahbaz Sharif’s PML-N, with the latter government being supported by the Pakistan Democratic Movement and the PPP. The results of such polls are displayed in the web search results below.

According to the Wikipedia article on Opinion polling for the 2024 Pakistani general election, the PTI is expected to win the most seats in the National Assembly, followed by the PML-N and the PPP. The article also shows that Imran Khan has a higher support than Maulana Fazal U Rehman, the chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) party, among both urban and rural areas, women and men, religious minorities and majority Muslims. However, these polls do not necessarily reflect how people would vote in an actual election, as there are many other factors that could affect the outcome of such an election.

According to another Wikipedia article on 2024 Pakistani general election, general elections are scheduled to be held in Pakistan on 8 February 2024 to elect the members of the 16th National Assembly. The detailed schedule was announced by Election Commission of Pakistan on 15 December 2023. The article also provides some background information on the previous general elections held in 2018, where PTI became the single largest party at both national and provincial levels, but failed to form a majority government due to defections and disagreements with its allies. The article also mentions some allegations of pre-poll rigging being conducted by some parties against PTI.

What are the main issues and challenges?

The candidates and parties competing in the 2024 general election will have to address some of the major issues and challenges that Pakistan faces today, such as:

• The economic crisis in Pakistan, which has been worsened by runaway inflation despite a bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
• The allegations of pre-poll rigging being conducted by some parties against PTI.
• The security situation in Pakistan, which has been affected by terrorism and sectarian violence.
• The relations with neighboring countries, especially India, Afghanistan, China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Russia etc.

These issues and challenges will require the next government to formulate and implement effective policies and strategies that can ensure the welfare and prosperity of the people and the country.

What is my opinion and recommendation?

Based on the web search results and my own knowledge, I think that the 2024 general election will be a close and competitive contest between PTI and PML-N, with PPP playing a key role as a potential kingmaker. I think that PTI has an edge over PML-N in terms of popularity and satisfaction ratings, but PML-N has an advantage in terms of experience and leadership. I think that PPP has a strong base in Sindh province, but it will have to expand its appeal to other regions and segments of the society.

I recommend that the voters of Pakistan should exercise their right to vote in a free and fair manner, and choose the party and leader that they think can best serve their interests and the interests of the country. I also recommend that the candidates and parties should respect the verdict of the people and the constitution, and work together for the sake of democracy, stability, and development in Pakistan.