2013 Pakistani general election

Pakistani general election, 2013

on 11 May 2013
All 342 seats to the National Assembly 172 seats needed for a majority
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Imran Khan Leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Nawaz Sharif Imran Khan Party PPP PML(N) PTI Leader since 30 December 2007 16 November 1988 25 April 1996 Leader's seat Larkana Lahore Mianwali Last election 121 seats, 35.3% 91 seats, 26.6% Did not participate
Incumbent Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso Independent

The general election (Urdu: پاکستان کے عام انتخابات ۲۰۱۳) will be the next election to the 14th parliament of Pakistan. The government of Pakistan has announced elections to be held on 11 May 2013. In the general election, voting will take place in all parliamentary constituencies of Pakistan, to elect Members to seats in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament and to the four Provincial Assemblies (Punjab Assembly,Sindh Assembly, Baluchistan Assembly and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly). The current National and Provincial Assemblies will complete its constitutional term on or before March 16, 2013, five years after the first session of the National Assemblies elected during the 2008 general election. Elections must be subsequently held within 60 days of parliament having been dissolved. This will be the 11th general election for Pakistan since 1962, and potentially marks the first successful democratic transition between two elected governments. As of March, the Election Commission of Pakistan has put final touches to its preparations for the upcoming general elections. And one of those tasks was to procure over 500,000 ballot boxes and all relevant materials.The commission has also decided to employ the services of retired judges of the high court as permanent election tribunals in order to expedite the disposal of election-related cases. The commission will be appointing five tribunals in Punjab and three each in other provinces. Buildings are being hired for offices of these tribunals.

This election will mark an end to the third PPP led government and the only democratic government to finish its term. For the general elections, the socialist-oriented PPP has allied with PML(Q), while on the conservative side, the PML has allied with PML(F) and Sunni Tehreek. Cricketer turned politician Imran Khan led centrist PTI has allied with the Islamic Jamaat-e-Islami and Bahawalpur National Awami Party. 85.04 million registered voters in the country will elect close to 1000 members of the National and Provincial assemblies of Pakistan, who will further elect the Prime Minister of Pakistan at the national level and the Chief Ministers of Pakistan at the provincial level. On March 17, 2013 The National Assembly stood dissolved on completion of its five-year term under Article-52 of the Constitution. While the provincial assemblies are likely to be dissolved on 19th.

Background

Main article: Long March (Pakistan)

In mid-January, Sufi cleric Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri led a Long March from Lahore to Islamabad, which is over 350 km, demanding electoral reforms, the quick dissolution of the National Assembly and a precise date for the election. The march attracted about 60,000 individuals from across Pakistan and ended peacefully. However, this appeared to have little impact on the government who continued on as per normal, and seemingly following their plan as to when to announce elections.

In the run up to the elections, a US Congressional report provided a brief overview of the current Pakistani government between 2008 to 2013. The annual report included the input of 16 US intelligence agencies, including the CIA. The report pointed out the policies and performance of the current government during their five-year tenure. The report warned that “Economically, trouble looms. Pakistan, with its small tax base, poor system of tax collection, and reliance on foreign aid, faces no real prospects for sustainable economic growth. The government has been unwilling to address economic problems that continue to constrain economic growth. The government has made no real effort to persuade its disparate coalition members to accept much-needed policy and tax reforms, because members are simply focused on retaining their seats in the upcoming elections.”

Overview

Pakistan has a Westminster system which is a democratic parliamentary system of government modelled after the politics of the United Kingdom. Members are elected through the first-past-the-post system under universal adult suffrage, representing electoral districts known as the constituencies of Pakistan. According to the constitution, there are 70 seats reserved for women and religious minorities. They are allocated to the political parties according to their proportional representation.

Process

During elections in Pakistan, a political party must secure 172 seats (51% of total seats) in the National Assembly of Pakistan to obtain a majority or else the elections will result in a hung parliament. If a political party with the most votes is either unable or unwilling to form a coalition government within a certain time-frame, a runoff election will be carried out.

Electoral roll

With assistance from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems activities in Asia, the Election Commission of Pakistan announced the printing of computerized electoral rolls, the first of its kind database which resulted in the elimination of 35 million bogus voters off the list. The new computerised system was funded by USAID. Approximately 40 million young Pakistanis will be voting for the first time in the upcoming elections, out of a registered electorate of 90 million. On 24 January 2013, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) approved electoral reforms ahead of the upcoming general elections. According to the approved reforms, the entire government machinery would come under the authority of the Election Commission once the election schedule is announced. Another clause in the reforms also empowers the commission with administrative authority with the announcement of the election schedule. Moreover, the commission would be allowed to make transfers and postings of high-ranking officials including Inspector Generals, secretaries and chief secretaries. The motive behind these reforms is to ensure transparency of the upcoming general elections, which the Chief Election Commissioner had termed crucial.

Electoral Procedure

• For the conduct of elections to the National and Provincial Assemblies, the Election Commission appoints a District Returning Officer for each District and a Returning Officer for each constituency, who are drawn from amongst the officers of the Judiciary, the Federal/Provincial Government and Local Authorities. Returning Officers are mostly Additional District & Sessions Judges.
• The list of polling stations is prepared by the Returning Officers and approved by the District Returning Officer. No polling station can be located in the premises of a candidate.
• The list of Presiding Officers, Assistant Presiding Officers and polling staff is prepared by the Returning Officer and sent to the District Returning Officer for approval at least 15 days before the polls. The Presiding Officer is responsible for conducting polls at the Polling Station and maintaining law and order. He is assisted by the Assistant Presiding Officers and Polling Officer.
• After the publication of Election Schedule by the Election Commission, nomination papers are invited from interested contesting candidates.
• Scrutiny of nomination papers is carried out by the Returning Officers and nomination papers are accepted/rejected.
• Appeals against rejection/acceptance of nomination papers are filed with the appellate tribunal, who decide such appeals summarily within such time as may be notified by the Commission and any order passed thereon shall be final.
• Final list of contesting candidates is prepared and published in the prescribed manner by the Returning Officer after incorporation of the decisions on appeals and after withdrawal of candidature by the candidates if any.
• Election Symbols are also allocated to the candidates by the Returning Officer according to their party affiliation or as an individual candidate, from the list of Election Symbols approved by the Election Commission. The Returning Officer also publishes the names of the contesting candidates arranged in the Urdu alphabetical order specifying against each the symbol allocated to him.
• The Election Commission of Pakistan provides each Returning Officer with copies of voter’s list for his constituency who distributes it amongst the Presiding Officers in accordance with the polling scheme and assignment of voters to each polling station/booth.
• Voters cast their votes at specified polling stations according to their names in an electoral rolls. Since the election for both National and Provincial Assemblies constituencies are held on the same day, the voter is issued two separate ballot papers for each National Assembly and Provincial Assembly constituency.
• When an elector presents himself at the polling station to vote, the Presiding Officer shall issue a ballot paper to the elector after satisfying himself about the identity of the elector through his identity card.
• Polling is held for nine hours on the polling day without any break.
• Immediately after the close of the poll votes are counted at the polling stations by the Presiding Officers in presence of the candidates, their Election Agents, and Polling Agents.
• After counting the ballot papers the Presiding Officer prepares a statement of the count indicating the number of votes secured by a candidate, and send it to the Returning Officer along with the election material, un-used ballot papers, spoilt ballot papers, tendered ballot papers, challenged ballot papers, marked copies of the electoral rolls, the counter-foils of used ballot papers, the tendered votes lists, and the challenged votes lists.
• The Presiding Officers also announce the result of count at the polling stations and paste a copy of the result out-side the polling stations.
• After the receipt of statement of counts from the Presiding Officers of the polling stations, the Returning Officer compiles the preliminary un-official result and intimates the results to the Election Commission through fax for announcement on print/electronic media.
• After the announcement of un-official result, the Returning Officer serves a notice to all the contesting candidates and their election agents regarding the day, time and place fixed for consolidation of the result. In the presence of the contesting candidates and election agents, the Returning Officer consolidates the results of the count furnished by the Presiding Officers in the prescribed manner including postal ballot received by him before the polling day.
• Immediately after preparing the consolidated statement the Returning Officer submits a copy to the Election Commission in the prescribed form which publishes the names of the returned candidates in the official Gazette.

in 2013 election every single individual should cast their vote

Schedule

• August 1, 2012: The Election Commission of Pakistan announces 2012 general elections would be held on the basis of same old constituencies.
• December, 2012: Supreme Court of Pakistan orders delimitation of constituencies and door-to-door verification of voters with the help of Pakistan Army in Karachi.
• January 17, 2013: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) starts door-to-door verification of voters list.
• February 3, 2013: President Asif Ali Zardari likely to announce the date for the general elections in the country, between March 8 and 14, 2013.
• March 31, 2013: Last date to submitt canadency papers

None of the Above Option

The Election Commission of Pakistan unilaterally decided that a ‘none of the above’ box will be available as a voting option on ballot papers this election. It has been decided that these empty boxes will be included in the papers after an approval from the prime minister who on the advice of the president according to the 18th amendment will pass an ordinance.The commission further said that the president has two weeks to approve this motion and that the list of final candidates will be in by April 19. If the election does take place and a majority of 51% vote none of the above, then the election will be declared null, and a new election will take place.

Registered voters

Following is the final list of registered voters in each district of Pakistan who are eligible to cast their vote in General Elections 2013.

• The province of Punjab has the highest number of registered voters.
• In cities, five districts of Karachi which form the city of Karachi has a total of 7,171,237 registered voters; more than total voters of the province of Balochistan and more than any other city or district in Pakistan.

No. of Registered Voters

Province	District	No. of Voters
Balochistan	Awaran	56,387
Balochistan	Barkhan	55,327
Balochistan	Chagai	66,836
Balochistan	Dera Bugti	63,953
Balochistan	Gwadar	93,650
Balochistan	Harnai	33,140
Balochistan	Jaffarabad	247,316
Balochistan	Jhal Magsi	44,533
Balochistan	Kachhi	103,108
Balochistan	Kalat	104,445
Balochistan	Kech	173,972
Balochistan	Kharan	45,176
Balochistan	Khuzdar	165,593
Balochistan	Killa Abdullah	184,832
Balochistan	Killa Saifullah	88,424
Balochistan	Kohlu	38,624
Balochistan	Lasbela	182,697
Balochistan	Loralai	107,028
Balochistan	Mastung	80,118
Balochistan	Musakhel	51,864
Balochistan	Nasirabad	162,349
Balochistan	Nushki	61,878
Balochistan	Panjgur	74,751
Balochistan	Pishin	196,859
Balochistan	Quetta	559,939
Balochistan	Sherani	31,837
Balochistan	Sibi	75,832
Balochistan	Washuk	38,171
Balochistan	Zhob	96,278
Balochistan	Ziarat	51,742
BALOCHISTAN	TOTAL	3,336,659
FATA	Bajaur Agency	353,554
FATA	F.R. Bannu	9,482
FATA	F.R. D. I. Khan	22,269
FATA	F.R. Kohat	41,070
FATA	F.R. Lakki Marwat	9,939
FATA	F.R. Peshawar	23,371
FATA	F.R. Tank	15,581
FATA	Khyber Agency	336,763
FATA	Kurram Agency	262,021
FATA	Mohmand Agency	177,244
FATA	North Waziristan Agency	160,666
FATA	Orakzai Agency	125,687
FATA	South Waziristan Agency	200,666
FATA	TOTAL	1,738,313
Federal Area	Islamabad	625,964
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Abbottabad	675,188
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Bannu	444,059
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Batagram	204,980
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Buner	360,019
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Charsadda	704,680
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Chitral	206,909
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	D. I. Khan	606,959
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Hangu	214,703
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Haripur	531,866
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Karak	315,087
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Kohat	409,372
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Kohistan	127,015
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Lakki Marwat	330,274
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Lower Dir	541,565
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Malakand	311,172
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Mansehra	742,674
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Mardan	987,122
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Nowshera	619,914
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Peshawar	1,393,144
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Shangla	296,722
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Swabi	714,454
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Swat	981,823
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Tank	150,585
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Tor Ghar	64,867
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Upper Dir	331,004
KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA	TOTAL	12,266,157
Punjab	Attock	1,022,180
Punjab	Bahawalnagar	1,264,077
Punjab	Bahawalpur	1,522,061
Punjab	Bhakkar	711,837
Punjab	Chakwal	929,747
Punjab	Chiniot	602,290
Punjab	Dera Ghazi Khan	1,052,720
Punjab	Faisalabad	3,622,748
Punjab	Gujranwala	2,273,141
Punjab	Gujrat	1,581,402
Punjab	Hafizabad	543,646
Punjab	Jhang	1,145,415
Punjab	Jhelum	783,571
Punjab	Kasur	1,463,575
Punjab	Khanewal	1,301,926
Punjab	Khushab	680,471
Punjab	Lahore	4,410,095
Punjab	Layyah	736,509
Punjab	Lodhran	727,177
Punjab	Mandi Bahauddin	815,154
Punjab	Mianwali	757,191
Punjab	Multan	2,110,177
Punjab	Muzaffargarh	1,681,436
Punjab	Nankana Sahib	623,625
Punjab	Narowal	792,379
Punjab	Okara	1,396,811
Punjab	Pakpattan	823,478
Punjab	Rahim Yar Khan	1,904,615
Punjab	Rajanpur	724,286
Punjab	Rawalpindi	2,645,608
Punjab	Sahiwal	1,190,424
Punjab	Sargodha	1,861,804
Punjab	Sheikhupura	1,341,341
Punjab	Sialkot	1,841,347
Punjab	Toba Tek Singh	1,089,508
Punjab	Vehari	1,285,562
PUNJAB	TOTAL	49,259,334
Sindh	Badin	639,314
Sindh	Dadu	609,609
Sindh	Ghotki	568,065
Sindh	Hyderabad	923,140
Sindh	Jacobabad	394,557
Sindh	Jamshoro	369,424
Sindh	Kambar-Shahdadkot	508,062
Sindh	Karachi Central	1,632,487
Sindh	Karachi East	2,093,898
Sindh	Karachi South	1,131,376
Sindh	Karachi West	1,493,055
Sindh	Kashmore	353,616
Sindh	Khairpur	838,502
Sindh	Larkana	585,519
Sindh	Malir	820,421
Sindh	Matiari	300,486
Sindh	Mirpur Khas	585,262
Sindh	Naushahro Feroze	600,090
Sindh	Sanghar	793,397
Sindh	Shaheed Benazirabad	668,193
Sindh	Shikarpur	488,878
Sindh	Sukkur	527,635
Sindh	Tando Allahyar	286,956
Sindh	Tando Muhammad Khan	230,554
Sindh	Tharparkar	471,831
Sindh	Thatta	663,543
Sindh	Umerkot	385,505
SINDH	TOTAL	18,963,375

Parties and alliances

File:"Bilawal Media".jpg

Son of Asif Ali Zardari the current President of Pakistan and the chairman of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will lead its party in this election.

Wealthy industrialist and two time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is leading the main opposition party, Pakistan Muslim League-N.

File:Imrankhanpti.jpg

GlobalPost's Third most globally influential leader and Cricketer turned activist politician Imran Khan is leading Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf under the slogan of "Change".

File:Altaf Hussain MQM.jpg

Altaf Hussain is leader of Muttahida Quami Movement which holds significant vote bank in Karachi .

Below is the list of major parties who are participating in the general elections:

• The Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians, (abbr. PPPP), is an electoral extension of the Pakistan Peoples Party, formed in 2002 by the PPP for the purpose of complying with electoral rules governing Pakistani parties. The Pakistan Peoples Party was founded on November 30, 1967 by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who became its first chairman and later 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan. PPP is the largest political party in Pakistan. The party gained much popularity and support during the era of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The party won the Pakistani general election, 1970 on a socialist mandate of "Roti, Kapra, Makan" ("bread, clothes, shelter"). PPP took control of the country after the Indian-supported Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. After the first parliamentary term, PPP secured a landslide victory in Pakistani general election, 1977 to rule for next five years. PPP was an Islamic socialist party when formed by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, but it became secular under Benazir Bhutto. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto wanted closer ties with China and more attention to the lower classes. Benazir Bhutto adopted fiscal conservative privatization policies in order to secure funding from the US and World Bank. Although twice elected Prime Minister (1988–90 and 1993–96), Benazir Bhutto was criticized for corruption and extrajudicial killings. The PPP currently holds 41 seats in the Senate of Pakistan. It was leader of ruling coalition of Pakistan during the period of March 2008 – March 2013. It formed the provincial government in Sindh, was official opposition in Punjab and was part of provincial governments of two smaller provinces (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan) during this period.
• Pakistan Muslim League (N) (abbr. PML(N); also PML "Nawaz group") is the second largest party in Senate. It is rightist conservative party that has been led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. It currently holds 7 seats in the Senate. Although twice elected as Prime Minister (1990–93 and 1996–99), Nawaz Sharif was criticized for widespread corruption and extrajudicial killings by opponents specially MQM and other groups. PML-N is a fiscally conservative party. PML- N supports strong and friendly relations with India, USA and EU. Party leadership holds an socially and religiously moderate stance. With passage of time PML-N is becoming more outspoken and conscious regarding its anti-establishment and pro status quo stance. Fiscally conservative business class in urban areas of Pakistan is strong vote bank of PML (N).
• Pakistan Muslim League (Q) (abbr. PML(Q); also PML "Quaid-e-Azam group") was a supporter of former President Pervez Musharraf. PML (Q) is a centrist conservative and nationalist party. The PML (Q) was born from the dissenters of the PML N, following the arrest and exile of PML leader and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The PML (Q) through the help and alleged rigging by former dictator Pervaiz Musharraf, formed a new government after the 2002 election. The party absorbed some smaller parties through power-sharing agreements in 2002 general elections, thus forming the federal government of Pakistan at the time. In the 2008 general elections the party lost seats and dictator's support, and therefore was no longer in the government. Although surprisingly popular among voters in 2007, the party lost a major section of its voter base by supporting ex president Musharraf, who had been heavily criticized for supporting the US led war on terror and suspending legal rights and constitution in the country. Agrarian class in rural areas of Pakistan is strong vote bank of PML (Q).
• Muttahida Qaumi Movement (United National Movement) (abbr. MQM) is generally known as a party which holds immense mobilizing potential in Muhajir community living in urban areas of Sindh province. The student organization, All Pakistan Muhajir Student Organization (APMSO), was founded in 1978 by Altaf Hussain which subsequently gave birth to the Muhajir Quami Movement in 1984. The organization maintains liberal and progressive stances on many political and social issues but MQM is heavily criticized for involvement in various violent and criminal activities in city of Karachi. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the alleged target of the Pakistan Army's Operation Cleanup against criminal groups leaving hundreds of civilians dead. In 1997, the MQM officially removed the term Muhajir (which denotes the party's roots of Urdu-speaking Muslims from present-day Indian regions) from its name, and replaced it with Muttahida ("United"). The MQM is one of few socially liberal political parties in Pakistan and organized the largest rallies in Pakistan in protest of the actions of al-Qaeda on September 11, 2001 demonstrating sympathy with the victims of the terrorist attacks. Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) is the second largest party in Sindh and the traditionally the third largest in the country.
• Awami National Party (Popular National Party) (abbr. ANP) has 12 Senate seats. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province government is run by the ANP. ANP is a leftist and secularist political party. It was a part of PPP-led cabinet of federal government (2008–2013). Its political position is considered left wing, advocating for the Socialism, public sector government, and economic egalitarianism. It is the largest pashtun nationalist party, strongly believing the rights of pashtun people and the pashtun nationalism. Although, its popular vote center lies and influence in the pashtun dominated areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, it has gained considerable amount of momentum in pashtun population of Balochistan and Sindh provinces of Pakistan.
• Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (United Council of Action) (abbr. MMA) is a coalition of religious and theocratic parties consisting of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) (Assembly of Islamic Clergy, Fazl-ur-Rahman Group), Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (Assembly of Pakistani Clergy), Tehrik-e-Jafaria Pakistan, Jamiat Ahle Hadith and few other smaller groups. Jamaat-e-Islami was part of alliance but alliance became largely nonfunctional after political disagreement over participating or boycotting election of 2008. JUI-F, leading member of group practically left the alliance to take part in the 2008 general elections and to be a part of coalition PPP government. Jamaat-e-Islami refused to join the alliance when JUI-F revived it in 2012 . The religious alliance formed the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2002 and leaded the coalition government in Balochistan with PML(Q). It is strong in the two small provinces. It is socially ultra-conservative and economically moderate socialist. It strongly opposes US military presence in Pakistan. The MMA in the Senate is actually JUI-F who decided to use the name MMA at the general election in 2008 after the remaining parties in the MMA decided to not take part in the general election. The MMA that contested the 2002 general election has disbanded, according to the head of Jamaat-e-Islami.
• Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pakistan Movement for Justice) (abbr. PTI) was founded by Imran Khan on 25 April 1996 in Lahore, Pakistan. Founded initially as a socio-political movement, PTI began to grow slowly but never achieved immediate popularity. The general elections in 2008 were boycotted by the PTI. During the 2011–12, PTI has emerged as a robust counterweight to Pakistan's two traditional political parties, the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (N). While the PML-N's former stronghold consisted of the urban areas of Punjab and the PPP drew most of its support from Sindh, PTI maintains that it represents all Pakistanis, regardless of religious, ethnic, linguistic, and provincial backgrounds. Even though of little election success in the past, PTI has established itself as one of the country's mainstream national parties mainly after 30 October 2011 when over Hundred thousand people gathered in Lahore in support of the Party. PTI claims to have over 6 million workers in Pakistan. According to International Republican Institute (IRI), as of May 2012 PTI is Pakistan's most popular party. The party is an anti-status quo movement advocating for an egalitarian and modern model of Islamic democratic welfare state. PTI believes in pursuing a foreign policy based on a nationalist agenda arguing that terrorism, extremism, and radicalization have only increased as Pakistan has joined the US-led War on Terror. PTI believes that Pakistan must withdraw from this war, negotiate a peace settlement, and fight the battle against militancy on its own terms.
• Jamaat-e-Islami (Islamic Party) (abbr. JI), is a rightist and Islamist political party, advocating for an Islamic and democratic form of government in Pakistan. The JI was founded on August 26, 1941 in Lahore by Muslim theologian and socio-political philosopher Abul Ala Maududi. The party is led by an Emir (lit. Leader), and currently Syed Munawar Hasan is tenuring as Emir of JI. The JI is headquartered in Mansoorah, Lahore. Founded during British Raj in India, the JI moved its organization after the Partition of India to the newly created state of Pakistan, initially setting up its organizational mass in West-Pakistan. The members who remained in India regrouped to form an independent organization called Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. During the Bangladesh Liberation War, the JI opposed the independence of Bangladesh, but established itself there as an independent political party, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami after 1975. The JI maintains close ties with international Muslim groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of an Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. The JI opposes Western Ideologies such as capitalism, socialism and secularism, and practices such as bank interest and liberalist social values but party advocates democracy as integral part of Islamic political ideals.

Parties in Alliance	Leaders	Position
PPP and PML(Q)	Asif Ali Zardari, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain	Centre-left – Third way
PML-N, PML(F), BNP, JWP, and ST	Nawaz Sharif, Pir Pagara, Sarwat Ejaz Qadri, Akhtar Mengal	Centre-right – Conservatism
PTI and BNAP	Imran Khan, Salah ud-Din Khan	Communitarianism
JUI, JUP, JAH, TeJ	Maulana Fazal-ur-Rahman	Religious conservatism

Parties by ideology

File:MontagePakLeaders2013.jpg

Montage of Pakistan leaders for Pakistani general election, 2013

Party Name	Ideology	Position
Pakistan Peoples Party	Social democracy	Center-left
Pakistan Muslim League (N)	Fiscal conservatism	Center-right
Pakistan Muslim League (Q)	Nationalist Third way	Center-right
Muttahida Qaumi Movement	Social liberalism	Center-left
Awami National Party	Democratic socialism	Left-wing
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal	Religious conservatism	Far-right
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf	Centrism	Center
Jamaat-e-Islami	Islamism	Right-wing

Campaign

On 24 March, former President Pervez Musharraf returned from self-imposed exile to run in the election despite threats from the Pakistani Taliban on his life, similar to the return of Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated shortly after returning.

Candidates

Musharraf's candidature was rejected from his home town of Karachi on the grounds that he violated the constitution of Pakistan and that he had sacked senior judges during his presidency. Electoral returning officer Ikramur Rehman upheld the objections by his rivals. A PML (Q) official, Afzal Agha, said "this is a biased decision." He was also rejected from the Punjabi town of Kasur. However he was later approved in the Khyber-Pakthunwa town of Chitral. The Supreme Court ordered him to appear over charges of treason and barred him from leaving the country on 8 April. On 16 April, an appeal for his approval from Chitral decided by a court in the provincial capital of Peshawar in which he was barred on the grounds that he violated the constitution by imposing emergency rule in 2007. His lawyer said that he would appeal to the Supreme Court. He was also ordered to be kept under house arrest for two weeks. On 23 April, He appeared at a Rawalpindi court under tight security on charged relating to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. On 25 April, he was formally arrested for the same charge.

Opinion Polls

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to play important role in next government.

— Najam Sethi, 2013

Various polls have been conducted by different organizations, all of which show inconsistencies and different results.

Based on figures being quoted in newspapers and articles, Pakistan Muslim League (N) looks set to get at least 125 seats general seats which means that by taking on allies in the form of 10 Fata seats and close to 12 seats from the KPK, PML-N would have the numbers to form a central government single handedly. At provincial levels, Punjab is locked up, in KPK PML-N can take the JUI-F on board and form a coalition while Balochistan is nearly always independents who ally with the Federal Government.

In March 2013, a survey by Heinrich Böll Foundation showed that 29 per cent of the people surveyed would support the Pakistan Peoples Party, the highest nummain opposition party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Another 20 per cent supported the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by former cricketer Imran Khan.

According to a survey conducted by Gallup Pakistan and PILDAT the Pakistan Muslim League (N) tops the list on voting intention score in Punjab, followed by the PTI and the PPP respectively. The February 2013 political forecast is based on a nationwide poll of approximately 9660 voters in 300 villages and urban localities. The voting intention score of PML-N stands at 63% in North and Central Punjab, 69% in Western Punjab and 49% in Southern Punjab, shows the survey. According to the consolidated findings of two nationwide polls on voting intentions, conducted by IRI and Gallup Pakistan respectively during past three months, the front runner in Pakistan’s elections scheduled in mid 2013 is the PML-N. The PTI, according to the survey, is making deep inroads in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa where it has surpassed every other player by a 30 per cent score.

Pakistan Peoples Party to emerge victorious on basis of performance.

— Qamar Zaman Kaira, 2013

In January 2013, an online poll conducted by Public Judgement showed that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf would win 66.1% of the total seats with PML-N coming in second place with 29.3% of seats. This would translate as PTI winning an outright majority of 225 seats in parliament. The online poll took place over 16 days and a total of 17,013 people participated in the poll.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan acknowledges sharp slide in his party’s popularity but attributes it to the party’s preoccupation with a gigantic task of intra-party elections. It took about 10 months during which the PTI almost suspended its activities. Imran is confident that the PTI will rebound soon for which a series of rallies has been planned beginning with Peshawar on March 10 on conclusion of elections for the Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KP). On March 23, a massive rally is planned in Lahore which will also be attended by about 80,000 elected members at union council level across the country.

Senior Pakistani Political analyst Najam Sethi said, Nawaz Sharif held public meetings and rallies in every nook and corner of the country while Shahbaz Sharif completed development projects in Punjab which attracted politicians from the other parties. Sethi said that the three percent raise in the popularity graph of the Pakistan People’s Party was made possible due to Asif Ali Zardari’s efforts who gathered many such politicians as used to oppose him. He said the popularity of both the parties increased due to the revival of the traditional politics and the same was the cause of decrease in popularity of unorthodox politicians like Imran Khan. However, Imran Khan’s next public meetings would help him a lot, Sethi predicted, saying that the PTI leader’s graph would go up after public rallies in Lahore and Peshawar and the party would play an important role in formation of the next government.

Support based on Generation gap

The survey’s findings indicate that the PTI’s support is derived from all age groups – 22.9 per cent of those between 18 to 35 years, 18.6 per cent of those between 36 to 50 years, 18.4 per cent of those between 51 to 70 years and 7.7 of those above 70 years support the PTI, dispelling the notion that its vote bank is rooted in the younger generation. The highest proportion of those aged between 36 to 50 years (32.5 per cent) indicate a preference for the PPP. Similarly, 46.2 per cent of those aged over 70 expressed a preference for the PMLN. Compared with respondents’ voting histories, the PMLN’s vote bank appears to have remained stagnant while the PPP’s seems to have declined significantly. It appears that the PTI has a stronger urban base, while a higher proportion of rural respondents indicated that they would vote for either the PPP or the PMLN in the upcoming elections.

Voting trends by ethnicity

Predictably, the highest level of support for the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party was pledged by Sindhis, 55 per cent of whom said they would vote for the PPP in the upcoming elections. This was followed by Seraiki-speakers at 46 per cent. Forty-four per cent of Hindko-speakers said they intend to vote for the Pakistan Muslim League (N), closely followed by Punjabi people at 43 per cent. The same proportion of Hindko-speakers – 44 per cent – also expressed an intention to vote for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, indicating a close contest between the two parties (PMLN and PTI) within that particular demographic. It is worth noting that while 34 per cent of Pakhtuns stated that they would vote for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, only 11 per cent expressed support for the Awami National Party (ANP). 47 per cent of Balochis said that they would vote for the Balochistan National Party.

Support based on Household income

On average, approximately a third of those earning up to 30,000 rupees each month indicated a preference for the Pakistan Peoples Party whereas, among those earning more than 30,000 rupees, support for the party dropped to 10.8 percent. This is in keeping with the party’s traditional pro-poor image. No such trend could be determined for the Pakistan Muslim League (N), whose level of support remained similar across all income levels. Those earning in excess of 250,000 rupees each month (the highest identified income bracket in the survey) expressed the maximum intention to vote for either the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) or the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, at 33 per cent each. While this figure may appear anomalistic in the MQM’s case – support for the party within the second highest income bracket (those earning between 100,000 and 250,000 rupees each month) was only four per cent – it was possible to identify a rough direct trend between level of income and support for the PTI. In general, it appeared that support for smaller parties declined with increasing levels of income.

Caretaker government

According to the law the caretaker government will operate in the interim period between the normal dissolution of parliament for the purpose of holding an election and the formation of a new government after the election results are known. Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has written a letter to leader of the Opposition leader in the National Assembly Ch Nisar Ali Khan, requesting him to propose names of persons for appointment as caretaker Prime Minister. Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam – Fazl (JUI-F) have agreed on the name of The Honourable Justice (R) Nasir Aslam Zahid as the Acting Prime Minister until the elections take place. If the government and opposition fail to reach consensus, the matter would be forwarded to a parliamentary committee, comprising four members from the opposition and the government. On 24 March 2013, the Election Commission appointed former judge and politician Mir Hazar Khan Khoso for the post of caretaker Prime Minister.

International monitor recommendations

The National Democratic Institution have stated the elections will be a “historical transition.” An NDI assessment mission — consisting of Canada’s former prime minister Joe Clark, former Indonesian House of Representatives member Nursanita Nasution, Chatham House senior fellow Xenia Dormandy and NDI Asia programmes director Peter Manikas — released its findings at a press briefing in Islamabad after its observation of Pakistan’s political framework.

The mission visited Pakistan from December 16 to December 21 and met with election authorities, government officials, party leaders, media and citizen monitoring groups. Joe Clark commended the cooperation of all parties, especially in adopting measures to bring the Federally Administered Tribal Areas under the political umbrella. Clark stated that the 18th Amendment to the constitution reflects the parliament’s integrity and commitment towards a fair democratic handover. Nursanita Nasution highlighted the need to address the rights of women in the polling process so that “fear and intimidation in high-risk areas such as Baluchistan, FATA, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Karachi” would not strip women of the opportunity to vote. Xenia Dormandy suggested “improving accessibility and adjusting locations” of women polling stations closer to those for men so that they could travel with the men in their families to vote. Sandra Houston, Regional Director of NDI, stated “We are impressed with the cooperation of all the stakeholders in assuring a smooth transition,” sharing that voters have been registered with Computerised National Identity Cards and biometrics including photographs where possible.

European Union

The European Union offered to send its observers to Pakistan’s elections, in a bid to ensure a “peaceful, credible” vote that will be “acceptable” to all. “The EU looks forward to upcoming elections that are peaceful, credible, transparent, inclusive and acceptable to the Pakistani people,” EU foreign ministers said in a statement released after talks. The 27-nation bloc “is ready to assist by deploying an election observation mission, as a tangible sign of our support for the democratic process,” the statement added. The ministers also said they looked forward to re-energizing ties with the next government and hoped quick contacts could lead to a third EU-Pakistan summit. Pakistan responded by saying it will welcome a European Union election observation mission during the forthcoming general elections.“Yes, we will welcome the observation mission”, foreign secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani said.

A 110-member team from the European Union will observe Pakistan's elections. The European Union High Representative and Vice President of the European Commission, Ms. Catherine Ashton, has decided to authorize a European Union Election Observation Mission (EOM) to observe the elections. A member of the European Parliament will lead the 2013 EU EOM as its Chief Observer. The EU EOM team will include observers, experts, election analysts, political analysts, legal analysts, human rights analysts, media analysts and others. On the basis of special agreements with the EU, observers from Norway, Switzerland and Canada are also part of the EOM. Some members will be deployed well in advance of election day, while others will be deployed at least ten days prior to the election day.

The observers will assess all aspects of the election process, nomination of candidates, election campaign, counting, tabulation, announcement of official results and complaints' procedures, and will cover pre-election preparations, election-day itself and the post-electoral period. The observers will follow the political campaign and hold regular meetings with representatives of election management bodies, political parties, candidates and civil society groups.

United States

The US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard Olsen stated that the United States applauds democratic tendencies in Pakistan, expressing hopes that free and fair general elections would lead to peaceful transfer of authority from one civilian government to successor dispensation. Completion of the current term by a democratically elected government will be a milestone in Pakistan’s history.

A U.S. delegation consisting of Senator Carl Levin, US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard Olsen and Armed Services Committee Senator Jack Reed visited Pakistan on 8 January for talks with Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. The delegation stated that not only the U.S., but the world would observe the general election with great interest.

The Centre for American Progress published a report called “Previewing Pakistan’s 2013 Elections” whose author, Colin Cookman, writes that the United States should work with, and not attempt to control Pakistan’s internal political processes. The report also warns that whoever wins the elections should try to resolve the problems the country faces or be prepared to face accountability. Cookman states that “only Pakistanis themselves are capable of establishing a more stable, democratic system capable of balancing diverse interest groups and effectively addressing the country’s challenges.”

It encourages the US to make efforts to support Pakistan’s democratic evolution and the success of its upcoming elections. Such efforts should include a public commitment to neutrality and respect for the electoral processes, coupled with support for an international observation mission. It also urges US diplomatic and military officials to continue to engage with a broad array of Pakistani civilian leaders and military officials, while making it clear that the United States “does not favour any specific electoral outcome and strongly opposes any disruption of the constitutional process or intervention during the caretaker period.”

US officials have denied the general perception in Pakistan that the US government wants to influence the electoral process in Pakistan to bring in a friendly government. US Secretary of State John Kerry skipped a planned visit to Pakistan to avoid accusations of meddling in the May 11 elections. Spokesperson Victoria Nuland stated that the message the United States wants to send out during the election season is “we have no favourites among Pakistani politicians and we are looking forward to work with whoever is elected on May 11.” Secretary Kerry’s decision to skip Pakistan during his South Asia visit is an indication of Washington’s eagerness to maintain neutrality during the elections.