2002 Pakistani general election

2002 Pakistani general election

← 1997 10 October 2002 2008 →
All 342 seats of the National Assembly 172 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	41.8% (5.8pp)
First party Second party   Leader Zafarullah Khan Jamali Ameen Faheem Party PML(Q) PPPP Leader since 20 July 2002 8 June 2002 Leader's seat Nasirabad Hyderabad-I Seats won 105 79 Popular vote 7,500,797 7,616,033 Percentage 25.66% 26.05%   Third party Fourth party   Leader Fazal-ur-Rehman Javed Hashmi Party MMA PML(N) Leader since 2002 2001 Leader's seat Dera Ismail Khan-I Multan-II Seats won 59 19 Popular vote 3,335,643 3,409,805 Percentage 11.41% 11.66%
Results of elections showing political parties.
Prime Minister before election Pervez Musharraf (as Chief Executive) Pakistan Armed Forces Elected Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali PML (Q)

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General elections were held in Pakistan on 10 October 2002 to elect the National Assembly and four provincial assemblies.

The elections were held under the military government of Pervez Musharraf.^[1] The two mainstream parties, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N), had several restrictions imposed on them and their leaders Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were in exile. In order to address the restrictions, the PPP created the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) under the leadership of Ameen Faheem, to contest the elections on its behalf. The PML-N was also suffering from the party's division into two factions: one that remained loyal to Sharif and were contesting the elections under the leadership of Javed Hashmi, and the other which had broken away to form the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League (Q) (PML-Q).

The emergence of the PML-Q marked the beginning of a multi-party system in the country, bringing an end to the decade-long two-party system between the PPP and PML-N. Although its senior leadership was conservative, the PML-Q ideologically aligned themselves with Musharraf's liberal views. In opposition to the liberal regime of Musharraf, Islamist parties organised themselves into the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance, bringing another key player into the political arena.

Background[]

Following the 1999 Pakistani coup d'état, Nawaz Sharif was removed as Prime Minister of Pakistan and Pervez Musharraf assumed control of the executive branch of the Government of Pakistan. In 2000, the Supreme Court ruled that the coup was legal although had to be legitimised by an election. A referendum was held earlier in 2002 to bring legitimacy to Musharraf's presidency, despite being boycotted by the opposition.

Parties and candidates[]

More than 70 parties, contested the election, the main parties were the Peoples Party Parliamentarians, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Group, Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-i-Azam also called the "King's Party" for its unconditional support to the government, and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), alliance of six religious political parties. Other known parties contesting at the national level included the six-party National Alliance led by former President Farooq Ahmad Lagari, Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf and Tahir-ul-Qadri's Pakistan Awami Tehrik.^[1]

Results[]

In the National Assembly elections, the PPPP received the most votes but the PML-Q won the most seats, winning 126 to the PPPP's 81. At the provincial level, the MMA emerged as the largest party in Balochistan and North-West Frontier Province. The PML-N lost its stronghold of Punjab to the PML-Q, while in Sindh there was a hung parliament, with the PPP winning more seats than the National Alliance. Voter turnout was 41.8%.

Although the founder of the PML-Q Mian Muhammad Azhar was considered the most likely candidate to become Prime Minister, he failed to win a seat in the National Assembly. Instead a senior party leader Zafarullah Khan Jamali was tasked with leading the new government. Meanwhile, the MMA leader Fazal-ur-Rehman became the Leader of the Opposition.

National Assembly[]

Provincial Assemblies[]

Punjab[]

Sindh[]

North-West Frontier Province[]

Balochistan[]

References[]