Cricket legend Imran Khan claims election victory in Pakistan as opponents cry foul

[TomSea]

Cricket legend Imran Khan claims election victory in Pakistan as opponents cry foul
Shashank Bengali, Aoun Sahi

Imran Khan, a cricket legend turned anti-corruption agitator, claimed a resounding victory Thursday and was poised to become Pakistan’s next prime minister after an election that was tarnished by allegations that the army had rigged the campaign in his favor.

With 228 of 270 National Assembly races decided, Khan’s party had won 108 seats, nearly twice as many as his closest rival, according to unofficial results published by the newspaper Dawn. Final results were delayed until Friday because of technical problems, Pakistan’s election commission said. But the only drama left was whether Khan would gain an outright majority or need to form a coalition government.

Khan, 65, became the latest celebrity to parlay star power into political power by railing against corrupt elites and championing populist ideas tinged with religious conservatism. His rise opens new questions for two of Pakistan’s most troubled relationships: with nuclear-armed rival India, where the media dub him “Taliban Khan” for his coziness with Islamist groups, and with the United States, which he has blasted as an occupying force in neighboring Afghanistan.

Continued at: http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-pakistan-election-20180726-story.html#