Publication

This brief examines the situation in Pakistan prior to the May 2013 elections, the first in which a popularly elected civilian government will transfer power to another. The author argues that the Election Commission of Pakistan has attempted to improve the electoral system, but its measures have been ignored or overruled. Moreover, new factors such as widespread militancy and judicial activism threaten the neutrality of polls. The author concludes that these issues at least highlight the areas that need to be tackled by the incoming government.