Ahead of elections that authorities say may not be held until next year, Pakistan’s government and parliament were dissolved on Wednesday, the presidency said. “The President (Arif Alvi) has dissolved the National Assembly on the recommendation of the Prime Minister,” a statement from the presidency said.
Previously, parliament had met for the last time on Wednesday evening before its expected dissolution. A caretaker government, led by technocrats, is expected to oversee the upcoming elections, which are expected to be held without the country’s most popular politician, Imran Khan.
The country has been in political turmoil since former Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted from power in April 2022. The latest event: the septuagenarian’s conviction for corruption on Saturday and his imprisonment, after months of crackdown on of his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
“Over the past sixteen months, our government has done its best to improve the situation and has served the nation with full conviction,” outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a final address to his cabinet. “This country cannot progress until there is national unity,” he added.
The new prime minister must be announced within three days of the dissolution of parliament, according to the constitution. By law, elections must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of parliament, but the coalition government has warned they could be delayed.
We do not know what form the PTI will take with its charismatic leader behind bars. The two usually conflicting dynastic parties that lead the outgoing coalition, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), should continue to weigh in.
This coalition, however, gained little popular support during the 18 months it spent at the head of the fifth most populous country in the world.
The economy is still in the doldrums despite a new bailout package from the International Monetary Fund, with crushing foreign debt, soaring inflation and widespread unemployment as factories shut down for lack of foreign currency to purchase materials raw.
“Economic decisions are invariably difficult and often unpopular, requiring a long-term government to implement them effectively,” said Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, a member of a Pakistani think tank.
Data from the last census taken in May was finally released last weekend and the electoral commission says it needs time to redraw electoral boundaries, a sore point for several political parties.
According to the director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington, Michael Kugelman, any delay could reveal the differences between the main coalition partners, the PML-N and the PPP.
“Delaying the election might just further irritate the public and galvanize an opposition that has already suffered months of repression,” he said.
The United States said on Wednesday it was following the situation in Pakistan with concern, fearing that violence could break out in the run-up to the elections.
“We are obviously concerned about any action – especially any violent action – that could contribute to Pakistan’s instability,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
In Pakistan, behind every election is the military, which has staged at least three successful coups since the country was forged from the partition of India in 1947.
Imran Khan enjoyed genuine popular support when he came to power in 2018, but analysts believe it was only with the blessing of the country’s powerful generals, with whom he reportedly fell out in the months following preceded his eviction.
Ousted from power by a motion of censure, he then embarked on a risky campaign of defiance against the army, accusing it of interfering in domestic politics.
Former cricket star turned politician Imran Khan has since pressured the government to hold snap elections, organizing mass rallies and removing his MPs from parliament, but his maneuver ultimately failed.