Pakistan’s government will announce its new head: ex-playboy Imran Khan is close to being named Prime Minister, Mirror said. On Thursday evening, the country will hear his declaration on victory.
After a general election that has been marred by long delays in ballot counting and claims of rigging by opponents, a cricket icon-turned-politician Imran Khan is close to being named the prime minister. Mr Khan, renowned for his playboy ways in London in the 1980s, plunged into politics in 2002 and is now widely expected to take on the most responsible job, which requires the versatility and a deep knowledge of many aspects.
With nearly half the votes counted from Wednesday’s election, Khan’s Pakistan Movement for Justice, was in a commanding lead in the Muslim nation. However, the Pakistani supporters of jailed PM Nawaz Sharif said the counting process was an assault on democracy in a country that has a history of military rule.
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) secretary Babar Yaqoob, the votes counting had been delayed by technical failures in an electronic reporting system and the tallying was now being conducted manually. Thus, the results had been due by evening, said Mr Yaqoob.
“There’s no conspiracy, nor any pressure in delay of the results. The delay is being caused because the result transmission system has collapsed,”
ECP secretary said.
One of the first persons who congratulated Mr Khan with his new job was Jemima Goldsmith, his former wife. The British journalist was married to the ex-cricketer from 1995 to 2004. Jemima recalled how Imran Khan’s political career began with a crushing defeat as she paid tribute to him.
