Country saw highest-ever 57.96pc turnout in 1970 polls

LAHORE: The highest-ever turnout in Pakistan’s electoral history was recorded during the 1970 ballot exercise with 57.96 percent eligible voters showing up to exercise their right of franchise, though Gallup Pakistan puts this figure at 61 per cent and Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) claims the number was slightly over 63 per cent.

Similarly, the lowest turnout of 35.4 per cent was recorded in the 1997 general elections.

There were 56,941,500 registered voters in the December 7, 1970 polls, which saw contests on 300 of the 313 seats in the National Assembly while 151 seats were needed for a majority.

A further 13 seats were reserved for women, who were to be elected by members of the National Assembly. The elections were a ferocious contest between the Awami League and Pakistan Peoples Party.

The Awami League gained an absolute majority, winning 160 of the 162 general seats and all seven women’s seats in East Pakistan. The PPP won only 81 general seats and five women’s seats, all in West Pakistan.

While the Awami League bagged 12,937,162 popular votes (39.20 per cent), the PPP garnered support of 6,148,923 voters (18.63 per cent).

In one of his newspaper articles on November 7, 2022, President PILDAT Ahmed Bilal Mehboob had stated: “Although Pakistan started off on the right note as the first general election held on the basis of universal adult franchise in 1970 registered a modestly healthy voter turnout of slightly over 63pc, voter turnout in subsequent general elections could not match that. Since 1985, voter turnout has seen several ups and downs with the lowest turnout of 35.4pc experienced in the 1997 general election. Fortunately, we saw some improvement in voter turnout in 2013 when it reached 53.62pc but the momentum could not be sustained in the 2018 election as the turnout dipped slightly to 51.5pc.”

He had gone on to write: “Pakistan does not compare well on the state of voter turnout with other countries of the world. The average global voter turnout computed by the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance since 1940s is around 76pc, which is way above the 45pc average turnout in Pakistani elections. Among 169 countries whose data has been compiled, Pakistan, sadly, stands at 165 — close to the bottom.”

On December 26, 2023, “The Diplomat,” an international online news magazine that covers politics, society and culture in the Indo-Pacific region, had written: “Over the years, Pakistan has witnessed an average voter turnout of 41 percent with some variations across different election cycles. In the 2018 general election, 51 percent of the country’s voters cast ballots. In 2013, it was slightly higher at 53 percent. The highest ever recorded turnout was at the 1970 general elections with 61 percent showing up to vote, and the lowest in 1997 with only 35 percent voting, according to the Gallup Pakistan Electoral Data. Meanwhile, with the rise in population over the years, the number of registered voters in the country has witnessed a steady increase.”