Voter turnout’s weak link with the economy

People were determined to vote in the 2024 elections. However, despite the increase in absolute terms, voter turnout dipped in terms of percentage. Harsh winter in parts of the country, fears of violence and terrorism in KP and Balochistan, as well as uncertainty about the conduct of elections, may have also adversely affected the turnout, states an analysis by the Free & Fair Election Network (Fafen). Voter turnout has decreased since the 2013 elections, though it is higher than what it was in the 1980s and the 1990s. (The 1990s saw the musical chair of the Bhutto and Sharif family, though the bitter rivalry then could not have foreseen the coalition government today.) The percentage of youths as voters has increased, and so has awareness through social media and the internet. It may account for a higher absolute voter turnout increase in the recent elections.