ISLAMABAD, May 12 (RIA Novosti) – The opposition party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML- N), led by former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, is leading in the country’s parliamentary elections, the local media reported on Sunday, referring to preliminary results.
The preliminary results indicate Sharif's party has gained at least 110 seats in the National Assembly, the lower house of the country’s parliament, but is likely to fall short of a winning majority of the 272 directly elected seats, which means he would have to form a ruling coalition.
Sharif's party has a big lead in his native Punjab province, which accounts for most of the country's population. The Movement of Justice (PTI) party of former cricketer Imran Khan is coming second in the elections with 37 seats while President Asif Ali Zardari's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) is third with 33 seats, according to the preliminary results.
The elections are seen as a landmark event in Pakistan, which was ruled by the military for most of its modern history, in that they mark the first transition from one civilian government to another.
