Khan wins by-election as march nears Islamabad
Mass support drives the former prime minister’s march to Pakistan’s capital.
Daily TribuneMass support drives the former prime minister’s march to Pakistan’s capital.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AFP) — Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan won another national assembly seat in a weekend by-election, officials said Monday, as he leads a so-called "long march" of thousands of supporters to Islamabad.
Khan, a retired international cricket star, has been demanding an early general election since being kicked out of office in April by a no-confidence vote, heaping pressure on the government.
His latest win in the northwest of the country was confirmed by the Electoral Commission of Pakistan.
"We didn't even run an election campaign for Imran Khan there, but he won with a big margin," Fawad Chaudhry, a senior Khan aide and former information minister, told private TV channel HUM News.
The ECP ruled this month that Khan had failed to properly declare the value of gifts he received from foreign leaders while in office.
Lawyers initially said the ruling amounted to a five year disqualification from office, but later backtracked.
The matter is now before the courts, which last week allowed Khan to contest the latest by-election.
It is one of several legal battles Khan has been entangled in since being ousted and comes after he won six out of eight seats in a by-election earlier this month.
Individuals can stand in multiple constituencies in Pakistan elections and choose which to forfeit if they win more than one.
"It is established now that his support has become nationwide," political analyst Hasan Askari told AFP.
"For the common man, the benchmark of a government's success is livelihood and the economy, and the present government has not succeeded in these fields."
