Pakistan general election kicks off (Phoro:Reuters)

The polls are open in Pakistan on Saturday where tens of millions of people are expected to take part in the country's historic election, the first civilian transfer of power. More than 86 million Pakistani voters are eligible to vote for the Lower House of Parliament – and to the four Provincial Assemblies of Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Voters will cast the ballots for 272 seats in the 342-member Lower House. The remaining 60 seats are reserved for women and 10 for non-Muslim minorities. Newly-elected members of Parliament will vote for Prime Minister and 4 provincial heads based on the result of the vote on the Lower House of Parliament. Main parties participating in the election including the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The main race is between two big parties in Pakistan, Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-N.