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Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday declared victory -- critics said prematurely -- in federal elections. Votes were still being counted in Pakistan with several hundred of the 855 contests for national and provincial assemblies seats undecided.
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Sharif, 74, and his Pakistan Muslim League party have the largest number of seats among the country's major political parties.
The latest count had Sharif's PLMN party securing 144 of 297 National Assembly seats up for grabs. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed independents had clinched 130. The PTI is the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is imprisoned on corruption charges.
"I love you too...I can see the light and sparkle in your eyes today," Sharif said in his speech Friday.
"We are all congratulating today because in these elections PML-N has emerged as the largest party in the country."
He went on to address the country's fragile economy, adding "at least 10 years are needed for bringing stability to the country."
The assertion of electoral victory drew sharp criticism from the international community amid concerns of election irregularities across the country.
The European Council of the European Union cited concerns over "allegations of severe interference in the electoral process, including arrests of political activists" during the polling process.
"We therefore call upon the relevant authorities to ensure a timely and full investigation of all reported election irregularities and to implement the recommendations of the upcoming EU Election Expert Mission report," the EU said in a statement.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron lauded Pakistan's improved access to voting for women but was critical of the process as a whole.
"We recognize, however, serious concerns raised about the fairness and lack of inclusivity of the elections. We regret that not all parties were formally permitted to contest the elections and that legal processes were used to prevent some political leaders from participation, and to prevent the use of recognizable party symbols," Cameron said in a statement Friday.
"We also note the restrictions imposed on Internet access on polling day, significant delays to the reporting of results and claims of irregularities in the counting process."
The United States made similar comments.
"We join credible international and local election observers in their assessment that these elections included undue restrictions on freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
"We condemn electoral violence, restrictions on the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including attacks on media workers, and restrictions on access to the Internet and telecommunication services, and are concerned about allegations of interference in the electoral process. Claims of interference or fraud should be fully investigated."
Sharif has served a total of nine years over three separate non-consecutive terms, making him the longest-tenured Pakistani prime minister in the country's history. His brother Shehbaz Sharif was prime minister from 2018 to 2023.
Third in the polls, the Pakistan People's Party is being led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of the assassinated leader Benazir Bhutto and grandson of party founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
Earlier, election officials blamed a delay in finalizing the result, which was expected late Thursday or Friday morning, on an Internet outage, but the PTI rejected the explanation with party spokesperson Raoof Hasan accusing authorities of tampering and alleging that votes had been "stolen".
The interior ministry, which also disabled cellphone and data networks for 9 hours, said the risk of terrorist attacks made blacking out the Internet necessary, a fact later criticized by the United States, Britain and the European Union.
The Election Commission rejected a PTI request to keep polling stations open after the 5 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time cutoff amid multiple reports of irregularities and the communications blackout.
Authorities defended the running of the polls, saying they had significantly boosted the number of voters to 128 million, more than half of the entire population, stationed 1.4 million election workers at 90,675 polling stations --16,766 of which were declared as being at risk of violence -- and made it easier for people to vote by making polling day a public holiday.
Hundreds of thousands of troops and police were out in force on the streets and at polling stations across the country. Borders with Iran and Afghanistan were temporarily shut after the runup to the election was marred by violence and claims of vote-rigging.
