Polling for 24 seats of the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly concluded peacefully amid tight security arrangements.
The general elections for GB took place after a four-month delay, which was attributed to harsh winter weather. The voting process in the region began at 8am and concluded at 5pm.
The Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly has a total of 33 seats 24 of which are contested through direct elections, six are reserved for women, and three are reserved for technocrats and professionals. Political parties can nominate candidates for the reserved seats through proportional representation.
A total of 396 candidates contested the elections, with 266 running as independents. Only eight women contested the elections, five of them as independent candidates.
The total number of registered voters in the region’s 10 districts was 963,034, including 566,097 male and 396,937 female voters.
The voting process remained largely peaceful throughout the region, with no violence being reported.
However, as the voting closed, PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari alleged that the party was not being provided with Form-45.
A Form-45 is the result of the vote count prepared by a presiding officer (PO) at each polling station.
We have contacted the chief election commissioner and informed him about the matter, Bukhari said in a statement.
PPP had also alleged earlier that the Balachi polling station in Astore-II’s Bunji area was relocated from the roadside to the top of a hill overnight while the voting was underway.
In a post on X, the party noted that the polling station had 206 registered voters, asserting that the “local population is known for its strong support” of the PPP.
