Projections indicated that candidates supported by the party of former prime minister Imran Khan were performing significantly better than anticipated in Pakistan's election count, holding a sizable lead over the party of favourite Nawaz Sharif. Long delays in the election results last night have angered and alarmed voters who believe the delays are the result of ballot stuffing. Since this morning, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has been posting results on its website for the 265 contested parliamentary seats. The election commission cited an unspecified “internet issue” for the long delay as the PTI party alleged that the “overwhelming mandate of the people of Pakistan is being stolen”. Independent candidates, most of them backed by Mr Khan, have secured around 60 seats while Mr Sharif’s PML-N is some way behind with around 40 seats, according to Geo TV projections. The Pakistan Peoples Party of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is trailing a close third with 31 seats so far. Meanwhile, Mr Sharif is still preparing to deliver a victory speech, his daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif said, as votes were being counted. Any party needs 133 seats in parliament for a simple majority but many analysts believe the vote may not produce a clear winner.