Electoral Context

Pakistan has faced many difficulties in its history with elections and democratic institutions.

Pakistan gained independence at the end of British rule in 1947. Nine years later, in 1956, it officially became a constitutional Islamic republic. However, civil rule was overturned by a military coup led by General Ayub Khan in 1958; with General Yahya Khan succeeding him in 1969. Civilian rule was reinstated into Pakistani politics in 1973 with the election of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto as prime minister. Riots ensued four years later due to allegations of vote tampering during the 1977 general elections. Prime Minister Bhutto was deposed in 1977 and later sentenced to death by General Zia-ul-Haq, who assumed the presidency through a bloodless coup. In 1988 General Zia died in an airplane crash, ending 11 years of military rule.

That year, Benazir Bhutto—daughter of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto—of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) won the general elections. Two years later, in 1990, Bhutto was removed from office on grounds of alleged corruption and Nawaz Sharif was elected as prime minister. Until 1999, domestic power shifted between Bhutto and Sharif.

In October of 1999, Pakistan was subjected to another military coup when General Pervez Musharraf overthrew then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. In 2001, Gen. Musharraf named himself President of Pakistan while remaining as the head of the army. In April 2002, Gen. Musharraf won an additional five-year term in a referendum that was widely seen as unconstitutional, exhibiting many voting irregularities. Following the April referendum, general elections held in October saw Mir Zafarullah Jamali gain the seat of Prime Minister, ushering in a partial reintroduction to civilian rule.

In 2007 President Musharraf suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, sparking a wave of protests across Pakistan. The year also saw the first joint protest led by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. While waiting for a Supreme Court ruling on his eligibility to run in upcoming general elections, Gen. Musharraf declared a state of emergency. A few months later Musharraf resigned as chief of army and was sworn in as president for a second term to ensure his eligibility as a presidential candidate.

In December 2007 Benazir Bhutto was assassinated during a parliamentary election rally, changing the political landscape of the country. While the 2008 general election had some irregularities, it was widely seen as a significant step towards normalization of the political situation and a re-establishment of civilian rule. The PPP’s Yusuf Raza Gilani became Prime Minister. Legislators elected Benazir Bhutto’s widow, Asif Ali Zardari, as the President of Pakistan in September 2008. In March 2010 the Parliament adopted the 18^th Amendment to the Constitution, shifting much of the President’s power, accumulated under former President Musharraf, to the Prime Minister.

Pakistan’s parliament is a bicameral legislative body, consisting of a directly elected National Assembly and an indirectly elected Senate, voted on by members of Provincial Assemblies. Elections for the National and Provincial Assemblies are held on the basis of the first-past-the-post system for single member constituency seats; whereas, Senate elections are held in accordance with the proportional representation system by means of a single transferrable vote. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) conducted the first direct elections for the National and Provincial Assemblies in 1970. Since then nine general elections have been held, interspersed with military rule. After the passage of the 18^th Amendment in 2010, the ECP is also responsible for conducting local government elections. The ECP has offices all across the country down to the district level, including the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.