Congratulations to the citizens of Pakistan, many who celebrated in the streets following the announcement of early tallies of their Monday votes.

The spring approaches with a deep hope of a better future, as reflected in the joyous faces of those whose favorite parties won the most votes -- and also in the resigned acceptance of those whose candidates lost.

Almost all the results from nearly 65,000 polling stations across the country have been collected, and voters "from the shores of the Arabian Sea to the snowy peaks of Central Asia", as one newspaper put it, clearly have shown a desire for change.

Going by provisional results for the national and provincial assemblies, the numbers show that voters are placing trust in the major opposition parties under their former prime ministers -- the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Sharif and the Pakistan People's Party co-chaired by Asif Zardari, husband of the murdered Benazir Bhutto.

Late Tuesday, the PPP parliamentarians won 88 seats in the National Assembly, and the PML-N gained 65 seats -- out of the 267 contested seats (postponed elections in three areas lowered the initial number of 272 contested seats), and they will gain more from seats reserved for women and minorities out of the total 342 National Assembly seats.

The allies of President Pervez Musharraf in the PML-Q suffered a worse-than-expected blow, leading to tempting suggestions that the elections were "a referendum" against Musharraf and his eight-year rule, dubbed as a military dictatorship.

With the announcement of results, allegations of rigging have faded, the United States, Pakistan's closest ally, has given its much-awaited blessing -- and credit must therefore go to Musharraf, who repeatedly stated his commitment to fair, free and transparent elections.

His officials said there was no choice anyway, while critics maintain it was thanks to the alliance of boycotting politicians that so much of the international spotlight focused on Pakistan.

The losing leaders are now being good sports. The President says he will "work smoothly" with whoever is in the new government, while PPP supporters also seem to accept the strength of Sharif's party, however influential their beloved, electric Benazir was.

Supporters of PPP and of Sharif's party were seen dancing together.

Musharraf's officials were gracious, expressing confidence that the new government, under whatever coalition, would eventually manage to pass teething pains and tackle the country's urgent issues -- such as poverty, neglected development in a number of areas, employment and terrorism.

Turnout figures are expected to be even lower than the 40 percent figure of the 2002 elections because of fears of violence, leading to a few questions of the election's credibility.

But one look at the enthusiastic voters, some bringing their children and grandchildren to the polling places, and one immediately knew that each voice of those who did show up could not be discounted. In the words of one first-time voter, she wanted to vote "for a government of my own choice".

Observers wondered if women were even interested in voting, or whether they would join in the traditional apathy for elections.

But female voters expressed their need to vote for their own interests. Zarena Begum, an elderly woman, walking slowly to the polling booth while supported on both sides, said she cast her vote "for peace ... for lower prices".

After voting and seeing their favorite party win, store owners in Islamabad were jubilant, positive that business would shortly pick up after a sluggish period, blaming it all on the old regime.

Like one local said, you can never know anything in cricket-crazy Pakistan until the last innings.

It is yet to be seen whether the upcoming new leaders will live up to their rhetoric and form "a national government of consensus". Like any new government-forming process, it will be a cautious process, a test of their political sensitivities -- among others, whether they will accommodate the former ruling allies of Musharraf, whose loyalists say did much for the country since he took power in a 1999 coup. In any case they owe it to citizens -- those who did or did not vote -- to use the public trust as best as possible.

Skeptics will say the now-winning opposition parties already flunked their opportunities and voters' trust when they themselves were in power; all the more reason to prove them wrong.

But for now: Congratulations, again, to Pakistan.

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