EC Releases Revised Referendum Gazette: 'Yes' Votes Decrease by Nearly 1 Million

According to a supplementary gazette signed by EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed on Thursday (February 26), the total number of valid votes has seen a sharp decline compared to the preliminary results.The revised data shows that 'Yes' votes decreased by 974,680, while 'No' votes dropped by 111,495. Conversely, the number of cancelled or invalid votes increased by 12,559. Overall, the total number of votes cast fell by over 1 million (1,073,616) from the initial count.

While the Commission did not specify the technical reasons for such a massive discrepancy, the notice stated that the revision was published in the 'public interest.' The referendum was held on February 12 to seek public mandate on the proposed constitutional reforms.