Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said the high voter turnout in a string of by-elections held over the weekend shows people's trust in the democratic process in the country.
In a statement, he said the "enthusiastic participation" made it evident that people had unwavering faith in democracy.
By-elections to six seats of the National Assembly and four provincial assemblies were held on Saturday.
Most of the seats had been vacated by politicians who quit their parties and joined cricketer-turn-politician Imran Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party that had boycotted the by-elections and urged people to abstain from voting.
According to unofficial results, out of the six National Assembly seats, the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) won two and the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), PML-functional and Awami National Party secured one each.
In one constituency, dispute over vote count marred poll results.
PML-N secured two seats in the provincial assembly in Punjab province while the PPP claimed two seats in the Sindh provincial assembly.
Among the winners were Ali Mousa Gilani, the prime minister's son. He was elected to the National Assembly from Multan.
Hussain Mirza, son of National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza, secured a Sindh Assembly seat, which had been vacated by his father Zulfikar Mirza, former provincial home minister. Media reports said the average turnout of voters was estimated at 39 per cent in the by-polls.
