Pakistani PM’s party wins less seats than expected in vote

ISLAMABAD – Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party didn’t win as many seats as it expected in special elections held for 35 seats that remained up for grabs after July’s parliament elections.

The party of ex-premier Nawaz Sharif won 11 seats in the national and provincial seats, out of 35 contested in Sunday’s balloting. Khan’s candidates secured 15 seats. Other small parties won the rest.

The vote doesn’t change anything but is still a setback for Khan, who in July didn’t get an outright majority but had to form a coalition government.

Under Pakistani law, candidates can run for multiple seats and if they secure more than one seat in parliament or provincial assemblies, they have to give up all but one seat. Special elections are then held for the vacated seats.