Musings From Abroad

Famous Pakistani cricketer Khan wins polls but did he cheat his way to power?

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

Published

6 years ago

July 27, 2018

Africa News Watch

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.

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.

Click to comment

Musings From Abroad

Nigeria, India to strengthen counterterrorism, maritime security cooperation

Published

10 hours ago

November 18, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

During a state visit to Nigeria on Sunday, Indian Prime Minister, Narendra, Modi reached an agreement, on behalf of his country, to strengthen cooperation in counterterrorism, intelligence, and maritime security.

President Bola Tinubu invited Modi to visit Nigeria, the first Indian prime minister to do so in 17 years.

Tinubu is looking for investments from some of the largest economies in the world.

In addition to discussing economic development, defence, healthcare, and food security, Modi and Tinubu met at the presidential mansion on Sunday after arriving in the capital, Abuja, on Saturday night, according to a joint statement.

The two nations decided to work together to protect maritime trade routes and fight piracy in response to the mounting risks in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea.

The most populous country in Africa, Nigeria, is looking to attract more Indian investment and lower-cost credit lines in order to strengthen its economy and generate employment.

Nigeria announced last year that it had obtained about $14 billion in pledges from Indian businesses, including Jindal Steel and Power, which promised to spend $3 billion in Nigeria’s steel industry, during the G20 conference.

Over 200 Indian businesses are present in Nigeria.

Modi was scheduled to go to Brazil for this year’s G20 conference after Nigeria.

Nigeria and India have a long-standing and cordial bilateral relationship. Nigeria, home to more than 200 million people, and India, home to 1.3 billion people, are both sizable emerging nations with multilingual, multiethnic, and multireligious communities.

Musings From Abroad

Military advisors from Russia arrive Equatorial Guinea

Published

1 day ago

November 17, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Russian military advisors are in Equatorial Guinea training indigenous soldiers.

Anonymous sources cited by Reuters during the week claim that between 100 and 200 Russian instructors are training with elite guards in charge of guarding the President and the first family.

The males had been seen in Malabo, the country’s capital, and Bata, its second city. Reports of Russian forces stationed in the nation initially appeared in August.

Oil-rich Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has maintained close relations with Moscow.

Nguema travelled to Moscow in September to attend the Russian Energy Week International Forum.

Russia has strengthened military connections with African countries, sending advisors and combat soldiers to the Central African Republic, Mozambique, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

Faced with an Islamist terrorist insurrection, three Sahel countries have turned to Moscow for support, expelling French and American troops.