Pakistani television stations are reporting that the country's two main opposition parties are showing strong results in the early stages of the vote count, but critics fear the outcome will be rigged.
A state operated news agency also reports that unofficial returns indicate that the first two seats have gone to the party led by assassinated leader Benazir Bhutto. There's also word that two of President Pervez Musharraf's close allies have been defeated in an area considered a pro-Musharraf stronghold.
"As far as we are concerned, we will be willing to sit on opposition benches if final results prove that we have lost. This is the trend," said Tariq Azeem, a spokesperson for Musharraf's party, the Muslim League-Q.
But official results aren't expected to be known until at least Wednesday.
About 81 million Pakistanis were eligible to vote in the election, which picks a national assembly and four provincial ones. Early indications are that turnout will be in the 35 to 40 per cent range.
Apathy and fear of militant attacks may have suppressed voter turnout. More than 20 people died and dozens of others have been wounded in Punjab, Pakistan's largest province, in violence between rival political factions since Sunday night.
Canadian officials joined international observers to oversee the election at polling stations.
"From the point of view of the Canadian government, we want to be able to develop our own independent opinion on how these elections have been conducted," Nick Coghlan, a political officer with the Canadian High Commission told 麻豆影视.
Human Rights Watch has reportedly obtained audio tape of Pakistan's attorney general saying there will be massive vote-rigging.
"If I would say a fair election is 10, and an unfair election is zero, then my estimation of what I've seen today (is a seven)," Canadian MP Jim Karygiannis told CTV from Pakistan.
"There seems to be concerns about vote-rigging," he said.
About 1.8 million ballots are to be mailed in from people in government, the army and the police, he said. "I got the impression that a lot of those people will be voting for whom they are told."
Musharraf
This election could be critical to the political fate of Musharraf, who first came to power in 1999 as head of the army, only recently giving up that power. He was not on the ballot in this election, but many Pakistanis see the election as a vote on his tenure and close relationship with the U.S.
The two main opposition parties are the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which had been led by Bhutto, who was assassinated in December 2007, and the Pakistan Muslim League-N of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Very early results show those parties to be doing well.
If they captured two-thirds of the seats, they could impeach Musharraf.
"It is the fate of the Pakistan People's Party that it will win, and we will change the system after winning," said Bhutto's husband Asif Ali Zardari, named co-chair of the party after her death.
Musharraf's party predicts it will do well in the rural areas of Punjab, the country's largest province.
The president has promised to work with the new government.
"I will say from my side, whichever political party will win, whoever will become prime minister and chief ministers, congratulation to them on my behalf. And I will give them full cooperation as president," Musharraf told state television.
The last general election in 2002, which saw voter turnout of only 41 per cent, installed a pro-Musharraf parliament. But Musharraf's popularity has taken a beating, especially since his attempt to fire the country's chief justice and imposition of emergency rule.
Inflation, particularly in food prices, power outages and security were some of the key issues.
With files from The Associated Press
