ISLAMABAD: The parties of Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan appeared to be well ahead of their rivals in Pakistans election, according to a partial count of votes cast on Saturday.
The partial count showed that while Sharif was in the lead, his party could lose 15 of its seats in the critical province of Punjab to Khan, whose emergence on the political stage has up-ended a system dominated by two parties.
Television channels showed Khans party was ahead in more than 50 of the 272 seats in the election.
Khan, Pakistans best-known sportsman is seen by many as a refreshing change from the dynastic politicians who long relied on a patronage system to win votes.
Khans PTI appeals mostly to young, urban voters because of his calls for an end to corruption, a new political landscape and a halt to US drone strikes on Pakistani soil.
About one-third of the countrys population is under the age of 30.
Sharifs party, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), looked set to win the most seats in parliament but Khan could deprive it of a majority and dash Sharifs hopes of a return to power 14 years after he was ousted in a military coup, jailed and later exiled.
The strong performance of Sharif and Khan will likely deal a blow to the outgoing Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), placing it third.
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