Islamabad, June 27, SPA -- Frontline parties in Pakistan's ruling coalitionscored a majority in this week's by-elections, which wereovershadowed by a pending court ruling on the candidacy of formerprime minister Nawaz Sharif for a National Assembly seat. Thursday's ballots to fill five National Assembly and 23provincial assembly seats were marked by low turnouts and a fewclashes between political opponents that injured at least two dozenpeople. According to the results posted on the Election Commission websiteon Friday, Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won threeNational Assembly and eight provincial assembly seats, nearly all inthe rich and powerful Punjab province, home to more than half ofPakistan's 160 million population. The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of slain ex-premier BenazirBhutto emerged as the runner-up, with its candidates winning twoNational and seven provincial assembly seats. The rest of the winners were either from smaller parties orcontested elections as independent candidates. A by-election in a ward of the Punjab capital Lahore was put offby the Supreme Court on Wednesday after the federal governmentchallenged Sharif's disqualification over his previous convictions.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/568896