Pakistan - Politics 2013
The National Assembly completed its tenure on 16 March 2013, so the general elections might be held 26 April 2013. By 31 October 2012, Pakistan had drawn up a preliminary road-map under which the National Assembly would be dissolved in January 2013, a caretaker government installed, followed by general elections. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf would, however, take a final decision on the installation of a caretaker set-up, dissolution of the assemblies and general elections after consulting their coalition partners.
In case the National Assembly is dissolved in January 2013, the constitutional limit for holding elections would be 90 days while the Constitution demands elections within 60 days after the completion of the constitutional tenure of the assembly. It would be a historic landmark in the country that a democratic government would complete its constitutional tenure for the first time. On the other hand, as the 2013 general elections got closer, the political wheeling and dealing in the country gathered pace and new political alliances were forged before the elections. The process gained momentum as talks for new political alliances start.
Mir Hazar Khan Khoso was appointed as a caretaker prime minister on 24 March 2013 to lead the government until May 11, when national elections are to be held. Pakistan’s Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin Ibrahim made the long-awaited announcement. Political parties welcomed the appointment of 84-year old Khoso as the caretaker prime minister, a former chief justice of the violence-hit Baluchistan province.
Pakistan’s former military president Pervez Musharraf returned home 24 March 2013 after four years of self-imposed exile. Musharraf intended to revive his political career and run for parliament in the upcoming elections. His party, the All Pakistan Muslim League, has confirmed that Musharraf will be at the helm as campaigning for the May 11 polls began. The party has little grassroots support and it currently is not represented in provincial or national assemblies. Adding to the party's woes is that many of its top politicians have left, as have many of Musharraf's former supporters. The party's efforts to align itself with established parties have so far failed.
Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered former President Pervez Musharraf to appear in court on April 9 in connection with treason charges. The April 8 order was in response to legal petitions accusing Musharraf of treason for suspending the constitution and dismissing senior judges, including the Supreme Court's chief justice, while in office in 2007. Musharraf faces a number of criminal charges, with the most serious -- treason -- relating to his role in the 1999 military coup that brought him to power. Another alleges that he failed to provide adequate security for political rival and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in 2007. Another links him to the 2006 assassination of Baluch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti.
Musharraf applied to contest the May 11 polls from four Pakistani districts because a candidate is legally allowed to run for multiple seats simultaneously. Election officials in three of the constituencies rejected his nomination papers for suspending the country’s constitution and sacking top judges of the Supreme Court. Chitral, however, cleared him to participate in the upcoming elections. On 16 April 2013, that decision also was overturned by a higher court. Musharraf’s bid to make a political comeback is not over because he can appeal the decision to the country’s Supreme Court.
Musharraf was arrested 19 April 2013 in connection with his unconstitutional dismissal of top judges while he was president. After appearing before a judge, who swiftly placed him under arrest and ordered him to appear before an anti-terrorism court in two day's time, Musharraf was allowed to return to his house before being taken to Islamabad police headquarters. But on 21 April 2013 Pakistan's caretaker government refused to try former president and top general Pervez Musharraf for treason. According to the caretaker administration, such a move is simply beyond its temporary mandate. On April 30, 2013, a court banned Pervez Musharraf from seeking public office, in the latest blow to the former president and army chief since he returned from exile with plans for a political comeback.
On 11 May 2013, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party won a majority of seats in parliamentary elections, and Nawaz Sharif became prime minister for the third time. The election marked the first time since independence in 1947 that one elected government completed its term and peacefully transferred power to another. Independent observers and some political parties, however, raised concerns about election irregularities. Formal adjudication of challenges of disputed election results was weak and the high courts did not meet statutorily prescribed deadlines for adjudication in the majority of cases.
The 11 May 2013 parliamentary election was the first time in Pakistan's history an elected government completed its full term, and a democratic transition was set to take place after the May vote. Until then, democratically-elected governments in Pakistan have not served their full terms because they were either dislodged by military coups or dismissed by pro-army presidents on charges of misrule or corruption. The elections will also decide on four provincial administrations. Despite attempts by Imran Khan's PTI and firebrand Canadian-Pakistani cleric Tahir-ul Qadri to challenge the existing political order, the ruling PPP and the opposition Pakistan Muslim League are expected to remain the main political forces in parliament.
Candidates contested 272 of the 342 seats in the National Assembly (the lower house of the national parliament) with the remaining seats reserved for religious minorities and women. The polls also filled 728 seats in the legislatures of Pakistan’s four provinces: Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan. under Pakistan's first-past-the-post electoral system, elected lawmakers elect the country's prime minister and four provincial chief ministers by majority vote, and the winners are then free to form their administrations. Recent consitutional changes rendered the office of President largely ceremonial, leaving the reigns of power in the hands of the Prime Minister.
Pakistan had some 85 million registered voters out of a population of roughly 190 million. Of those voters, some 10-15 million are living in violent areas, home to militants, nationalists and armed political groups. There are 35 million new voters on the rolls, most of them between the ages of 18 and 25. The governing Pakistan People's Party, or PPP, ruled through a political coalition of several parties. But there was a growing awareness among the opposition political leadership that if it could get enough young voters, it could tip the balance of power in its favor. Parties like the PTI, a relevant newcomer to the political scene led by former cricketer Imran Khan, and the opposition Muslim League led by Nawaz Sharif reached out to the younger demographic. But Pakistan youth hardly go contrary to their parents.
An unreleased opinion poll conducted by the Washington-based International Republican Institute in January 2013 was reported to put the Pakistan Peoples Party, co-chaired by President Asif Ali Zardari, in third place, with 14 percent of the vote, based on its dismal performance over the previous five years. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's conservative Pakistan Muslim League-N was in the lead, with 32 percent of the vote. He was followed by the Tehreek-e Insaaf (Justice Party), led by former cricket star Imran Khan, with 18 percent. This party was a wild card in the elections, after the dramatic rise in its popularity over the previous two years. Despite media hype around the return of Pervez Musharraf, he was seen as a marginal political player with only a small following. Islamist and ethno-nationalist political parties, such as the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Jamiat Ulam-e Islam, and the Awami National Party were expected to emerge as important blocs in parliament and in the provincial governments.
These standings were not stable, and might not translate into results at the polls. According to a September 2012 survey by the International Republican Institute, Khan’s PTI party had plummeted in popularity, while that of one of his rivals, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, had gone up. Sharif and the PML-N party was seen as the main challenger to the ruling PPP party of President Asif Ali Zardari. But many analysts said neither of the two major political parties have enough support to win an outright majority in parliament in the 2013 elections. That could put Imran Khan in the position of political kingmaker in any future coalition government -- a government that will need the political strength to enact reforms.
The ruling PPP party could benefit from the emergence Imran Khan’s political party as a third major force on national scene in recent years. Khan’s Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf gained popularity because of its harsh criticism of former Prime Minister Nawaz Shairf’s PML-N party, which ruled the country’s most populous province of Punjab and was the main opposition party in the national parliament. The rivalry could deprive Sharif’s party of crucial votes, largely to the benefit of the current ruling party PPP headed by [figurehead] President Asif Ali Zardari.
For the May elections, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reportedly accredited approximately 43,000 domestic observers, the majority of whom were from the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN). The EU, Democracy International, the Aurat Foundation, and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) were among the many groups that observed the election. The government permitted all existing political parties to contest the elections. Although several boycotted, the largest parties participated. In general election observers considered the May elections a success, despite terrorist violence and some procedural problems.
Voter turnout was high with the chief election commissioner initially claiming on May 11 that 60 percent of eligible voters participated in the elections. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), reported a 54 percent voter turnout, and Gallup Pakistan indicated a 55 percent turnout. Political analysts credited the increase in women and young adult voters for the high turnout rate. Observers agreed the elections marked a democratic milestone, as the first time since independence in 1947 one elected government peacefully completed its five-year term and transferred power to another civilian government.
Some independent observers and political parties raised concerns about some election irregularities. In the August 22 by-elections for 42 contested national and provincial seats, voter turnout, including women’s participation, was much lower. NGOs and researchers attributed this to a lower level of interest than in the May 11 general elections. In one district (Dera Ismail Khan), polling was ultimately postponed for security reasons, so only 41 seats were contested. IFES noted formal adjudication of challenges of disputed election results was weak and that the high courts did not meet statutorily prescribed deadlines for adjudication in the majority of cases.
The conservative party of former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif took a commanding lead as votes continued to be tallied for crucial parliamentary elections marred by Taliban intimidation. State television estimates showed Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League having easily secured enough seats to form a government and close to the majority needed to rule outright. Former cricket player Imran Khan's Tehrik-i-Insaf, or PTI, holds second place overall and will likely control the important provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, along the Afghan border. The incumbent Pakistan People's Party, led by the family of slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, trailed in third place as voters cast ballots to fill 272 seats in the National Assembly. Officials estimated the turnout in Saturday's poll at a robust 60 percent, despite pre-poll violence and attacks that killed at least 24 people on election day itself, including at least 10 at a campaign office for the Awami National Party, one of the groups targeted by the Taliban.
Figures released by Pakistan's election commission 14 May 2013 showed that Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League - N would likely get a majority in the national assembly, setting him up to be prime minister for the third time. The commission said Sharif's party won 123 of the 272 directly elected seats. Sharif's victory meant that his party will likely only need the support of independents to secure an overall majority in the legislature. The outgoing Pakistan People's Party won 31 seats. Cricket star Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party moved into third place with 26 seats.
On June 05, 2013 Pakistan's newly elected prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, was sworn into office for an unprecedented third term. He received 244 votes in the 342-seat parliament. In his first speech in parliament, Mr. Sharif said his administration's top priorities include fixing the economy and ending corruption. He also called for an end to U.S. drone strikes that target militants in the tribal areas along the Afghan border. Pakistan's government objects to the drone strikes, saying they have killed civilians and are an affront to the country's sovereignty. Mr. Sharif, who was 63, was Pakistan's prime minister from 1990 until 1993, when he was forced to resign because of corruption allegations. He returned to the job in 1997 but was toppled by a military coup two years later.
Pakistan's Supreme Court revised the date of the country's presidential election, asking the election commission to hold the poll on 30 July 2013 instead of 06 August 2012. The commission was expected to uphold the court revision. In Pakistan, the president is elected by voting in the Senate, National Assembly and the assemblies of the four provinces. The August 6 date would have prevented the participation of many lawmakers because it would have coincided with their religious duties during the holy month of Ramadan. The ruling Pakistan Muslim League - N candidate Mamnoon Hussain was widely expected to win the presidential vote. President Asif Ali Zardari's term expired in September 2013. He did not seek re-election.
On July 30, 2013 Pakistani lawmakers overwhelmingly elected Mamnoon Hussain, a close political ally of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, for the largely ceremonial post of president. The head of the election commission Fakhruddin Ibrahim said Hussain received 432 votes. His only challenger, retired judge Wajihuddin Ahmed, received 77 votes. The results are based on ballots cast by both houses of parliament and four provincial assemblies. Mr. Hussain is a textile businessman and served briefly as a governor of the southern Sindh province. He would be sworn in on 09 September 2013, replacing Asif Ali Zardari as president. The election was boycotted by Mr. Zardari's opposition PPP (Pakistan People's Party) after the Supreme Court granted a request by the ruling PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) party to move the election forward from August 6.
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