New York, Feb. 7 -- Pakistan went to polls in a widely watched national election, leading to the formation of a new government to lead the crisis-ridden South Asian nation for the next five years. The country is a parliamentary democracy and voting takes place for seats in the federal legislature, called the National Assembly, and four provincial, or state, legislatures.

In all, 128 million people registered to vote in the elections to pick 266 representatives on February 8, forming the 16th parliament in a first-past-the-post system. With the National Assembly consisting of 336 seats, 266 candidates will be elected through direct voting, while 70 seats are reserved. Among these reserved seats, 60 are designated for women and 10 for non-...