Parliamentary elections in Pakistan: Family dynasties seize power Mother of American gunman convicted of negligent homicide

The South Asian nuclear power Pakistan elects a new parliament. About 130 million eligible voters will be called on Thursday to decide the distribution of power in the National Assembly and provincial parliaments. The polling stations are open from 8am to 5pm (local time, 4am to 1pm CET) and are protected by 600,000 police and soldiers given the fragile security situation. A preliminary result could be known during the evening.

As in previous elections, the election campaign was overshadowed by violence. At least 26 people were killed and dozens injured in two attacks in the restive province of Baluchistan on Tuesday. The terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The opposition paralyzed – the population disillusioned

For months, political pundits and human rights activists in the country have denounced unfair election conditions as Pakistan’s judiciary has largely dismantled the opposition. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who remains popular with the population, is in jail on corruption charges. The 71-year-old politician sees himself as a victim of a political conspiracy and blames the powerful army for this.

Khan’s so-called Justice Party Tehreek-e Insaf (PTI) is also paralyzed because its members are only allowed to stand as independent candidates according to a Supreme Court ruling. Dozens of cases have been 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.

Many of Pakistan’s 240 million people are disillusioned with the country’s elections and political leadership, according to a survey by polling institute Gallup last year. Accordingly, in a survey in autumn 2023, only 25 percent of respondents believed that the parliamentary elections would take place according to the rules. During the most recent elections in 2018, this share was almost twice as high. 88 percent also said they believe corruption is widespread in government. The dire economic situation and extremely high inflation played a particularly important role in the election campaign.

Sharifs versus Bhuttos – political dynasties fight for power

The election victory will now be fought mainly between the two main political dynasties, the Sharifs and the Bhuttos. The favorites are the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and its leading candidate, three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Sharif did not return to his home country from exile in Britain until the autumn of 2023; meanwhile, his younger brother Shehbaz was prime minister, among other things. Recently acquitted of old corruption charges, the 74-year-old former prime minister has made a comeback. Sharif’s political clan, which includes his daughter Maryam, is based in Punjab province, the country’s most populous and economically strongest region.

35-year-old Oxford graduate and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is running for the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), is considered an outsider but also Sharif’s main opponent. The centre-left party has been led by the Bhutto dynasty since its inception. Bhutto Zardari’s mother is the charismatic former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in 2007.

The PPP and the PML-N were last part of a broad governing coalition that overthrew Imran Khan. Bhutto Zardari told local TV station Geo News the night before the elections that further government cooperation with the Sharif brothers of the PML-N would be impossible for him if the PML-N continued to pursue the same policies as the newspaper “Dawn” . reported. As is common in Pakistan in the months before elections, a transitional cabinet is currently in power.

Since Pakistan’s independence more than 75 years ago, as a result of the partition of British India, there have been repeated unrest and instability in the country. The army ruled for more than half of this time. And even under civilian governments, generals were seen as the force that could decide the success or failure of political leadership. To date, no Pakistani government leader has served his term regularly. (sda/dpa)