A hung parliament is being predicted in Pakistan as the nation goes to the polls in the tenth general elections on Monday. There is speculation that none of the three leading parties, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), PML-Q and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s PML-Nawaz, will get clear majority.
However, political analysts say the establishment will help the PML-Q in forming the government with the help of smaller parties like Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), Awami National Party (ANP), PML-Functional and others.
A top government official said the PML-Q will win 55 seats, MQM 16, JUI 18, ANP 12, other smaller parties and independents 25, and 12 will come from the tribal areas that has a history of siding with the government. “I don’t see any problem in forming the government, we don’t need any rigging to get the Q League to form the government,” the official said requesting anonymity.
The total number of seats required to form government, according to figures by the official, comes to 138. The National Assembly has 342 seats, with direct elections held to 272 seats. 60 seats are reserved for women and 10 for non-Muslims, which is divided among the winning parties on proportional representation basis. However, both the PPP and PML-N have warned of “agitation” in case of rigging.
Zardari threat
Meanwhile, PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari is confident of garnering a majority but warned President Pervez Musharraf-led government not to rig the election which will force him to launch massive street protests .
“Up till now I’ve shown absolute patience. My wife (former Premier Benazir Bhutto) has been killed, yet I’ve calmed people down, stopped them protesting. But I’m telling you, people are absolutely on the warpath. If the elections are rigged the situation will go out of my hands,” Zardari said in an interview to The Sunday Times.
“I feel her (Bhutto’s) spirit is with me and I won’t let her down. But I fear they did not kill Benazir just to let us win... We’ve played our part responsibly. We’ve taken part in the elections rather than boycotted. Now it’s up to them to give us a free run. People are angry, they are on the breadline, despite the 60 billion dollar windfall Musharraf has enjoyed over the past eight years.”