Pakistan’s election commission is expected to confirm former cricket star Imran Khan’s victory Friday after polls marred by widespread allegations of vote rigging.

According to early results, Khan’s center-right Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has been swept to power, gaining an unexpectedly strong mandate, but failing to win a majority in the National Assembly.

In the latest official count, Khan’s party had won 119 seats out of a potential 272 seats, with 219 having been declared.

Analysts said Khan had sufficient numbers to form a government with independent national assembly members and small regional numbers, without needing to team up with extremist religious parties as some had feared.

“This is an exceptional result in so far that all surveys and analysis had predicted a hung parliament and a messy coalition government,” said Umair Javed, an academic and political commentator.

However, Khan’s hard earned victory may be marred by claims that he had covert support of the military, long known for its frequent interventions in Pakistan politics.

Read Also: ‘Apatheid’ brews in Isreal over new ‘Jewish nation-state’ law

The apparent victory of the 65-year-old populist, who campaigned as a “change” candidate bent on building a “new Pakistan,” has widely been trumpeted as “historic” for breaking the two-party duopoly that has dominated national politics for decades.

Banking on his huge popularity as a sports celebrity and the PTI’s success as a regional party, his anti-graft mantra struck a chord with disenchanted young and middle-class Pakistanis.

However, the delayed election results have intensified cries of foul play after every political party except Khan’s alleged ballot-rigging. Some claim their monitors did not receive final counts or were asked to leave polling stations before tallying was finished.

The vote, only the second democratic transition in Pakistan’s 71-year history, was also overshadowed by hundreds of political arrests, a massive crackdown on the media and increasing tensions over allegations that the powerful military covertly backed Khan.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was ousted from office last year over corruption-related charges, which led to his imprisonment earlier this month.