Nawaz Sharif said his party would seek talks with rival Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s group over forming an alliance in Pakistan, potentially breaking the deadlock over the South Asian country’s controversial The election will result in a hung parliament.

Sharif, a veteran politician, told cheering supporters in a speech that the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz would enter talks with Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party and declared victory.

Bhutto Zardari, 35, is a scion of the Bhutto dynasty, while Sharif is a three-time former prime minister who returned from exile in London last year and was acquitted of corruption charges, paving the way for his candidacy.

If the two family-based parties join forces, it could thwart jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, whose candidate is forced to run as an independent in Thursday’s election. Strong, a testament to Khan’s enduring popularity and making the polls close.

“We must sit together,” Sharif said in a speech in Lahore, his family’s home base. “It’s everyone’s responsibility to get this country out of this mess.”

Sharif said that after the election, the Muslim League-N (PML-N) became the largest party in parliament. His close aides had earlier said the PML-N would win nearly 90 of the 265 seats in Pakistan’s lower house, the National Assembly. Pakistan’s Election Commission scorecard showed Khan’s pro-independence party leading with 90 seats, followed by the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) with 62 seats and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) with 50 seats.

“We will talk to everyone,” PPP senator and senior leader Shirley Rehman told reporters in Lahore.

A bipartisan alliance could bring relief to the country’s powerful military, which analysts say could help Khan step down in April 2022. Khan responded by holding rallies and publicly criticizing the military. He was later sent to jail on multiple charges and his party’s candidates did not contest elections under the name of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). They were also banned from using the party’s famous cricket bat symbol in polls.

It could also anger Khan’s millions of young supporters, who support the former cricket star’s populist and anti-establishment rhetoric and believe the Sharifs and Bhuttos represent the old ways of Pakistani politics.

The strong showing by Khan-backed independents has cast uncertainty over the country’s future, leading to a sell-off in its assets. Dollar bonds fell, with bonds due in 2051 falling the most in seven months. The benchmark stock index fell 2%, its biggest drop in two months.

If Sharif becomes prime minister, he will face challenges on many fronts. The country’s economy is in jeopardy, with an inflation rate of 28%, the highest in Asia, making life more difficult for the 40% of the population who live in poverty.

Pakistan is also heavily in debt and dependent on financial aid from the International Monetary Fund. Pakistan’s 23rd nine-month bailout package since independence in 1947 is due to expire next month, meaning one of the new prime minister’s first tasks is likely to be negotiating a new deal.

The new leader will also have to deal with complex relationships with the United States and China, growing terrorism in Pakistan and tensions with neighbors such as India, Afghanistan and Iran.

Despite Sharif’s claim of victory, the election results remain uncertain and forming a government could take weeks.

Abid Qayyum al-Suleri, executive director of the Institute for Sustainable Development Policy, an independent think tank, said: “Any dispute surrounding the election results will lead to political instability, which may make it difficult for the next government to negotiate and implement the next An IMF program.” Tanks stationed in Islamabad.

A terrorist attack in a remote province bordering Afghanistan killed dozens and undermined the election results. On the day of the vote, Pakistan suspended mobile phone services across the country, saying it was necessary to maintain law and order. Subsequently, the announcement of the results was delayed for more than 24 hours. The Home Office said in a statement on Friday morning that a “lack of communication” due to precautionary safety measures was to blame for the delays.

The U.S. State Department said the election included “undue restrictions on freedoms of speech, association, and peaceful assembly.”

“Allegations of interference or fraud should be fully investigated,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Sharif’s party is not the only one claiming victory. Khan’s PTI also did so in the early hours of Friday, while also warning supporters that the election was being rigged.

Khan was jailed last year and has since been sentenced in a number of other cases, which he said were politically motivated. Khan is Pakistan’s most popular politician and a former cricket star who led Pakistan to win the 1992 World Cup. He has a loyal following among the country’s youth.

Adnan Khan, head of international sales at Intermarket Securities Ltd., said: “Investors will be wary if protests break out. The next few days will be very important.”

Analysts believe Sharif, who is backed by the country’s powerful military, is a political figure who could replace Khan. He is Pakistan’s longest-serving prime minister, serving a total of nine years, but he has yet to complete a full five-year term.

Sharif has been ousted as prime minister three times, twice in the 1990s and once amid a corruption investigation following the 2017 Panama Papers leaks. In 1999, the military staged a coup after General Musharraf attempted to oust the Army Chief of Staff.

Pakistan has been ruled for nearly half its history by the military, often the power behind civilian governments. It remains a huge influence on national politics.