In Pakistan today, almost 130 million people are called upon to elect a new parliament. In the country marked by economic crisis and terrorist attacks, the return of an old friend could be on the horizon.
Happy music is blaring from the speakers and most people here feel like celebrating. For the participants in this Pakistan Muslim League (PML) election rally a few days ago, their candidate Nawaz Sharif is the hero. “Nawaz is the perfect candidate to bring the country out of this misery,” said Mohammad Arif, a supporter of the conservative center-right PML party.
The misery is, above all, a severe economic crisis with high inflation, which can only be alleviated somewhat through financial injections from the International Monetary Fund or friendly states such as China and Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, it drives countless young people abroad in search of jobs.
Recently returned from exile
Sharif portrays himself as a savior. Sharif, who himself was prime minister three times, announced that Pakistan had been deliberately ruined. “Pakistan has faced a lot of injustice in recent years. It will take the heart of a lion to get it back on the right track.” The 74-year-old leaves no doubt that he himself is the man with the lion’s heart.
He only returned from exile in London last October. He fled there in 2018 to avoid a prison sentence for corruption following the Panama Papers revelations.
The prime minister at that time was Imran Khan. In 2024 it will be exactly the opposite: Sharif is warming up for the office of prime minister – and Khan is in prison.
Riots after Khan’s arrest
“By the time you hear this news, they will have arrested me. I only have one request for you: don’t sit still at home. I fight for you, the country and the future of your children,” Khan said in a pathetic speech last August.
His supporters then took to the streets and there were serious riots. The populist and former cricket star has been in prison ever since. He was convicted four times in summary trials, with prison sentences of up to 14 years. Three of the judgments were made shortly before the election.
His party PTI was also stripped of its logo, a cricket bat. Many supporters of the still-popular Khan will therefore find it difficult to identify their candidates on the ballot papers.
doubt sth equal opportunity
It is events like these that raise doubts about the elections, according to Niels Hegewisch from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Islamabad. There are legitimate concerns about the quality of democracy in Pakistan. However, one cannot say that Pakistan is an undemocratic country.
“There was a lot of media coverage. There were controversial public discussions about the individual politicians and their programs. So it’s a mixed picture,” says Hegewisch. The election itself is certainly intact at its core, but there are doubts that “everyone had the same chances and whether everyone was able to contribute equally to this democratic process.”
Opportunities also for former Prime Minister Bhutto’s son
In any case, the chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, was able to get involved in the election campaign over the last few weeks.
The 35-year-old is a former foreign minister and son of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in 2007, and former President Asif Ali Zardari. In addition to Sharif, Bhutto Zardari and his center-left party are given the greatest chances in the elections.
An important task for the next government will also be to take decisive action against terrorists in their own country. There have been repeated serious attacks by the Pakistani Taliban and the terrorist militia IS. The targets were primarily soldiers and police officers.
Security apparatus prefers Sharif
Sharif is the preferred candidate for Pakistan’s powerful security apparatus. Political scientist Hegewisch explains that this belongs to the political establishment, to the leading families that determine the politics of the parties.
But Sharif is also a representative of Pakistan’s old politics, running in a country that has changed a lot since he was last prime minister. And that’s why it’s not surprising, says Hegewisch, that enthusiasm in the country is limited.
The first unofficial figures on the outcome of the elections will probably be available as early as midnight local time. The result is expected on Friday morning.
Peter Hornung, ARD New Delhi, tagesschau, February 7, 2024 12:56 p.m