A senior official in Pakistan has publicly confessed to vote-rigging in the country’s general election earlier this month. It is an unprecedented admission of malpractice that raises fresh questions about the legitimacy of the electoral process and whether the final results were manipulated by the country’s all-powerful military.

Commissioner Liaqat Ali Chattha claimed that authorities in Rawalpindi, Punjab province, changed the final voting numbers so that the candidates who were ‘losing’ the elections ‘were made to win’. Chattha says there was so much ‘pressure’ on him to manipulate the results that he contemplated suicide, before opting to make a public confession: ‘I take responsibility for the wrong in Rawalpindi. I should be punished for my crimes and other people involved in this crime should be punished.’ The others, according to Chattha, include two of Pakistan’s most high-ranking figures: the chief election commissioner and the chief justice of Pakistan. It is dynamite stuff, even for the murky world of Pakistani electoral politics. His allegations have been vehemently denied by the election commission and the judicial authorities.

The latest revelations come at a time of huge political turmoil in Pakistan in the wake of the elections, which took place on February 8. There were further mass protests this weekend, defying a restriction on public gatherings imposed by the authorities. Thousands of people took part in rallies in more than a dozen cities, including the capital Islamabad, claiming that the vote was rigged to keep the jailed former prime minister Imran Khan out of power.

The election contest was marred by controversy and suspicion from the off. On polling day, the government imposed a mobile phone and internet blackout across the country, citing security threats as justification. The draconian measures made it difficult to ensure independent monitoring of polling stations. The slow counting of votes only added to growing suspicions of irregularities. This included fears that the country’s army chiefs were influencing the count to ensure victory for their preferred candidate, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, and his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party. Even so, independent candidates loyal to Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party ended up with the largest number of seats – but not enough to secure a ruling majority in parliament. It was a moral victory for Khan. His party defied a widespread crackdown that hindered campaigning efforts and effectively forced candidates to run as independents. Khan, who was toppled from power in 2022, has been in prison since last August. He was barred from contesting the election after being handed several lengthy prison sentences just days before the vote.

Moral victories aside, the reality is that Khan’s party is heading for the opposition benches. The PML-N is left trying to cobble together a ruling coalition with the third-placed Pakistan People’s party (PPP). Even then, other minor parties may also be needed to make up the numbers. A coalition government formed by the parties who came second and third in the polls can hardly claim a popular mandate, nor is this a recipe for strong government or political stability. The army chiefs may not have quite got the election result they wanted but they will still rule the roost. In other words, it will be business as usual.

In the real world – away from all the shenanigans – Pakistan is mired in economic crisis. Inflation is running at a staggering 28 per cent. Ordinary Pakistanis have seen a dramatic fall in real wages. The country’s poorest are unable to afford even the most basic foodstuffs, let alone pay ever-rising energy bills. Pakistan struck a $3 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund last year to help stave off its growing debt crisis. Talks on an extension to this bailout are due to take place in a matter of weeks and any new deal will require imposing further economic stringencies on a country that is already on its knees. The reality, regardless of who nominally takes the reins of power, is that there is very little hope of meaningful change on the horizon for Pakistan’s people. They turned out in huge numbers to exercise their democratic choice and resist the attempts of the country’s military to decide the election outcome in advance. Yet they’ve been left no better off.