Photo courtesy of of Manal Fatima. Fatima’s parents are pictured above after voting in Skeikhupura.
By Maahi Jaiswal ’24
Staff Writer
Pakistan’s 12th national election has left the country with a new coalition government as independent candidates won the majority of parliamentary seats. According to AP News, this election was unlike any other in Pakistan’s history, as it was met with delays in results, mobile shutdowns and violence.
Although 44 parties participated in this election, no party won the majority in the legislature, AP News reported. The majority is considered 169 seats out of a total 336 seats. Seventy of these seats are reserved for women and minorities, meaning that there exist only 266 general seats, according to Al Jazeera.
According to Reuters, the two main parties — the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the Pakistan Muslim League — declared themselves the victors of the election. According to the United States Institute of Peace, as of Feb. 13, the PML had the most seats from a single party culminating in 75 seats, while the independents affiliated with the PTI won 93 seats. A new coalition government will have to be formed as no one party had a clear win, USIP stated.
Since gaining independence in 1947, Pakistan has remained under military rule for over 30 years throughout its history, Al Jazeera reported. Imran Khan, the leader of the PTI, and Nawaz Sharif, leader of the PML, who have become political opponents, are both in disagreement with military involvement.
Although civilians have become elected officials in recent years, the political climate is still precarious as former Prime Minister Imran Khan is currently in prison, Al Jazeera reported. He was arrested and charged on grounds of “state secrets, graft and an unlawful marriage” according to Reuters.
The Pakistani military has notably been involved in electoral battles, with both dominating parties believing that military influence has undermined democracy. However, military officials claim that the army "does not interfere in politics,” Reuters reported.
After a national mobile shutdown, Pakistan has been faced with delays in election results, according to AP News. Such uncertainty has not been good for the economy, as the country’s bonds and stock indices have decreased, Reuters reported.
According to Reuters, Pakistan is currently facing many macroeconomic obstacles, one of which is formulating a bailout program from the International Monetary Fund’s loan arrangement.With a new coalition government, uncertainty looms as people are not sure how the government will be able to achieve political stability. According to Marvin Weinbaum, Director of Afghanistan and Pakistan Studies at the Middle East Institute, the coalition “would probably be unstable, weak … the big loser …will be the army. A fractured verdict could very well be the basis for even deeper exposure to forces which could create instability,” Reuters reported.
Pakistani student Manal Fatima ’27 expressed their opinion on these elections in an interview with Mount Holyoke News.
“Public opinion is quite varied within Pakistan, however, most activists, first-time voters, and members of the youth are dissatisfied with the elections and the influence of the military in the results of these elections,” Fatima said. “With PTI democratically winning the majority vote and the results being tampered with, a large number of people, especially first-time voters are dissatisfied. This dissatisfaction is likely to impact how well the coalition can function in terms of managing protests and maintaining peace.”
Although many are unsatisfied, Fatima also shared that there may be reason for optimism. “The coalition government may bring positive results for the nation since the PPP and PML-N manifestos place a primary focus on economic development and stability,”she said.
In terms of voter participation, less than half of the eligible voters in Pakistan participated in the parliamentary elections. According to an analysis from the Free and Fair Election Network, approximately 47% of voters showed up to cast their ballot in the election. This was less than the turnout in 2018, the last year Pakistan held a parliamentary election, AP News reported.
However, despite a lower voter turnout, the streets were met with protests on Saturday over issues related to vote rigging, delayed vote counts and the lack of overall transparency. Many Pakistani cities have experienced rallies from thousands of people claiming that the election results are illegitimate, Al Jazeera reported.
As democracy is tested, Pakistan’s new government must reckon with the past along with its new challenges to smoothen the political processes.