ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s ruling party has taken a commanding lead in elections for the legislative assembly in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, results from the first two phases of voting showed on Wednesday, despite weeks of protests and calls for a boycott by a banned political group.Candidates backed by twice-elected former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-N party have won 24 of the 34 seats decided in the first two phases of voting, said Raja Shakeel, a spokesman for the regional election commission. Turnout exceeded 56% in the regional capital. Shakee said voting for the remaining 11 seats is scheduled for Aug. 10, but the party is already on course to form the next regional government. It marks the party’s return to power in Pakistan-administered Kashmir after a decade.Shakeel said the elections are being held in three phases because of security concerns and heavy monsoon rains, which have complicated campaigning and made it difficult to hold large outdoor rallies.
According to regional government and election officials said turnout exceeded 50% in many areas, including Muzaffarabad, despite security concerns and calls for a boycott by the outlawed Joint Awami Action Committee, or JAAC, which is notorious for holding violent protests. Sharif congratulated the winning candidates in a statement.
