Parliamentary elections in Pakistan, the South Asian nuclear power, are being held in a difficult environment. There are fears of more attacks. According to an opinion poll, the majority are dissatisfied. Pakistanis do not trust the regime and the opposition feels harassed. Meanwhile, two political dynasties vie for power.
Pakistan, the nuclear power in South Asia, elects a new parliament. About 130 million eligible voters are required to determine the distribution of powers in the National Assembly and provincial parliaments. Polling stations are open from 8am to 5pm (local time, 4am to 1pm CET) and are protected by 600,000 police and soldiers due to the fragile security situation. The preliminary result can already be known during the evening. Pollsters assume low participation.
As in previous elections, the campaign was overshadowed by violence. At least 26 people were killed and dozens injured in two attacks in the restive Balochistan province on Tuesday. The terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attacks. More than 650,000 army personnel, paramilitary forces and police officers are expected to provide security during the elections. The Foreign Ministry said that for security reasons, the land borders with neighboring Iran and Afghanistan will be closed to all traffic on Thursday.
In order to maintain „law and order”, the authorities also decided to cut off mobile phone communications in the country during the elections. A spokesman for the Ministry of Interior explained that this should be implemented “temporarily.” Internet monitoring website NetBlocks confirmed an outage in mobile and internet services, calling the move “inherently undemocratic.”
For months, political experts and human rights activists in the country have denounced unfair electoral conditions, with Pakistan's judiciary largely dismantling the opposition. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who remains very popular among the population, is in prison on corruption charges. The 71-year-old politician considers himself the victim of a political conspiracy and blames the powerful army for it.
The so-called Justice Party, Tehreek-e-Insaf, is also paralyzed because, according to the Supreme Court ruling, its members are only allowed to run as independent candidates. Dozens of cases remain pending against Khan since he was removed from office in a vote of no confidence in Parliament in the spring of 2022. The former cricket star won the last general election in 2018. Turbulent political years followed.
Dissatisfaction is at a record level
Many of Pakistan's 240 million people are disappointed with the elections and political leadership in the country A poll conducted by the Gallup Polling Institute From last year's shows. Accordingly, in a poll conducted in the fall of 2023, only 25% of those surveyed believed that the parliamentary elections would be held according to the rules.
During the last election in 2018, the percentage was almost twice as high. Also, 88% said they believe that corruption is widespread in the government. The miserable economic situation and very high inflation played a particularly important role in the election campaign.
Sharif and Bhutto fight for power
Now the election will be contested primarily between the two main political dynasties, the Sharifs and the Bhuttos. The preferred candidates are the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and its main candidate, three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Sharif did not return home from his exile in Britain until the fall of 2023, and in the meantime, his younger brother Shahbaz was, among other things, prime minister.
Recently acquitted of longstanding corruption allegations, the 74-year-old former prime minister is back on the scene. Sharif's political clan, which also includes his daughter Maryam, is based in Punjab, the most populous and economically powerful region in the country.
Sharif's most important external opponent is the 35-year-old Oxford University graduate and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is running as the best candidate for the Pakistan People's Party. The Bhutto family has led the center-left party since its founding. Bhutto Zardari's mother is the charismatic former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in 2007. The PPP and PML-N were recently part of a broad government coalition that ousted Imran Khan.
Unrest, instability and military power
Bhutto Zardari told local TV station Geo News the evening before the election that further government cooperation with Sharif's PML-N brothers would be impossible for him if the PML-N continued with the same policies, Dawn reported. . mentioned. As is usual in Pakistan in the months leading up to the elections, a transitional government is currently in power.
Nuclear Energy Pakistan is the fifth most populous country in the world with a population of 240 million and is suffering from an economic crisis. The inflation rate is about 30 percent, and the rupee has been in free fall for three years. Since independence more than 75 years ago as a result of the partition of British India, there has been frequent unrest and instability in the country. The army ruled for more than half this time. Even among civilian governments, generals were seen as the force that could decide the success or failure of political leadership. To date, no Pakistani prime minister has completed his term regularly.
