2018 Balochistan provincial election

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2018 Balochistan provincial election: A quick summary

Elections were held on 25 July 2018 to choose all 65 members of the Balochistan Provincial Assembly. To form a government, 33 seats were needed. Voter turnout was 45.27%.

The largest winner was the newly formed Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), which won 24 seats and about 24% of the vote. Jam Kamal Khan, the BAP leader, became the Chief Minister, representing Lasbela-II.

Other big winners included:
- MMA (an alliance of religious parties) with 10 seats. Leader listed for this group included Malik Sikandar Khan Akhtar Mengal, with the Quetta-II seat.
- BNP (Mengal) with 10 seats. Leader listed as Akhtar Mengal, seat Khuzdar-III.
- PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) with 7 seats. Leader: Yar Muhammad Rind, seat Kachhi-cum-Mastung.

The 2018 election followed a period of political shifts. In 2013, the assembly had been hung and a coalition government formed; in the run-up to 2018, BAP emerged as a major new force.

A deadly suicide bombing occurred shortly before the vote on 13 July 2018, killing at least 131 people, including BAP candidate Nawabzada Siraj Raisani and injuring hundreds.

In short, BAP led the way with 24 seats, followed by MMA and BNP (Mengal) with 10 seats each, and PTI with 7 seats, shaping the province’s new government under Jam Kamal Khan.