Pakistan elections: Uptick in women voter registration fails to translate into higher voting turnout

An independent election watchdog on Saturday (Feb 10) released a report on the just-concluded Pakistan general polls, noting that the increase in women voter registration in the highly conservative country, did not translate into higher turnout.

The findings were published by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) which had deployed 5,664 observers - 3,913 men, 1,740 women and 11 transgender persons to observe 22,656 polling stations, around 25 per cent of a total of 90,675 polling stations set up in 265 constituencies.

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The report found that the collaborative effort by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and other stakeholders led to the narrowing of the gender gap in voter registration.

The targeted initiatives reduced the overall gender gap on the voter rolls between male and female voters from 12.4 million in 2018 to 9.9 million in 2024. However, women voter turnout remained a tepid 43 per cent, compared to 52 per cent of their male counterparts.

"Efforts to enhance gender equality in voter registration must be accompanied by initiatives to promote active participation of women in elections by the ECP, political parties and civil society," the watchdog advised.

"Sustained efforts are needed to address existing gender gaps in certain regions and ensure equal access and opportunities for women to exercise their democratic rights. Electoral stakeholders must prioritise these efforts to truly achieve gender parity in electoral participation," it added.

Apart from the disappointing participation of women on the voting day, the report also highlighted various grey areas in the election process. FAFEN claimed that at 29 per cent of the polling stations, the presiding officers failed to provide Form 45.

Notably, Form 45, commonly known as the "Result of the Count" form is a vital record in the country's electoral process, intended to uphold openness and accountability by documenting and disclosing the outcomes of the voting procedure at a particular polling place.

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Pakistan election results

The perilous state of Pakistan went to polls on Thursday (Feb 8) amid chaos and reports of violence from across the country. Three days later, the counting of votes has seemingly completed.

According to an announcement by the ECP, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) backed independence candidates have won the most number of seats (101) in the National Assembly.

Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) occupies the second spot by winning 75 seats while Bilwal Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is on the third spot with 54 seats. The results of the NA 88 constituency have been withheld.

(With inputs from agencies)