Forming a government in Pakistan was difficult, but now an agreement has been reached: Former Prime Minister Sharif’s PML-N Muslim League wants to form a coalition with the People’s Party PPP and several small parties.
In Pakistan, business mogul Nawaz Sharif’s party, the Muslim League PML-N, has announced a government coalition with the People’s Party PPP and other small parties. The independent candidates who emerged from the election as the strongest force, most of whom have connections to the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his opposition party PTI, initially come away empty-handed.
The PML-N Muslim League’s announcement in the evening followed a meeting of leaders of at least six political parties. “We have decided to sit down and form a government,” confirmed former president and co-chair of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Asif Ali Zardari, at a press conference in the capital. The future balance of power in the nuclear-armed South Asian state appears to have been clarified after Thursday’s election.
Choice overshadowed by allegations of manipulation
Sharif’s Muslim League PML-N surprisingly only came in second place in last week’s vote, followed by the PPP led by former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, which made forming a government difficult. The election in the country with around 240 million inhabitants was overshadowed by internet blocks and allegations of manipulation. Observers criticized the judiciary’s harsh approach against the opposition party PTI, which, following a Supreme Court decision, was only allowed to run with independent candidates.
Since Pakistan’s independence over 75 years ago as a result of the partition of British India, there have been repeated unrest and instability in the country. The military ruled for more than half of this time. Even among civilian governments, generals were seen as the force that could determine the success or failure of the political leadership.