Parliamentary elections in Pakistan 1988
The parliamentary elections in Pakistan in 1988 took place on November 15, 1988. The members of the National Assembly and the Senate were elected. Benazir Bhutto , the top candidate of the PPP , ran against the technocratic military government of Zia ul Haq . Benazir Bhutto won 84 out of 207 seats in parliament. The PPP was able to provide government for the second time in a row. Benazir Bhutto became the first woman in the Muslim world to become the head of government. Nawaz Sharif went into opposition.
background
The parliamentary elections were held in 1977. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was able to secure a two-thirds majority in parliament. However, unrest broke out and Zia ul Haq toppled the PPP government in a coup . Martial law was repealed. The 1985 elections were held and Mohammad Junejo, a Sindh politician , was appointed Prime Minister. Zia ul Haq dissolved parliament in May 1988 and deposed Prime Minister Junejo. Zia ul Haq promised to hold elections within the next 90 days. Zia ul Haq announced that the elections would be held without parties. The elections were set for July 20, 1988. The Pakistani Supreme Court lifted the ruling after Zia's death.
Election campaign
A total of 1370 candidates took part in the elections. The election campaign lasted a month and was peaceful. After the death of Zia ul Haq, the democratic socialists and the secular allied with the PPP. Zia ul Haq banned the socialists after they tried to overthrow his government. The PPP campaigned for the fight against terrorism in its election manifesto. The PML-N promoted industrialization and the privatization of companies. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) did not participate in the elections. Some party members ran as independent candidates.
Result
Bhutto managed to win the election despite accusations of election manipulation. Bhutto won the election with an 8 percent lead and was ahead of the IJI party alliance. Independent MQM candidates came in at 5.4 percent and secured seats in Karachi and Hyderabad .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Elections held in 1988 (English)
- ↑ Election Statistics: Pakistan 1988 Legislative Election. In: Elections.com.pk. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015 ; accessed on August 3, 2013 .
- ↑ Pakistan: Elections held in 1988 . Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), 1988 (English).
- ^ The first 10 general elections of Pakistan. (PDF) In: pildat.org. May 2013, pp. 19-20 , archived from the original on March 28, 2017 ; accessed on January 11, 2017 (English).
- ↑ John Pike: Muttahida Quami Movement - MQM. In: GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved January 11, 2017 .
- ^ Mazhar Abbas: MQM's toughest election. In: TheNews.com.pk. November 18, 2015, accessed January 11, 2017 .
- ^ Pakistan at the polls. (PDF) In: Gallup.com.pk. 1990, accessed January 13, 2017 .
