1985 Pakistani general election

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1985 Pakistani general election
Flag of Pakistan.svg
  1977 25 February 1985 1988  

217 of the 237 seats in the National Assembly
109 seats needed for a majority
Turnout53.70%
 First party
 
Party Independents
Seats won217
Percentage100%

Pakistan General election 1985.png
Winning party by constituency

Prime Minister before election

None (vacant since 1977 due to martial law)

Elected Prime Minister

Muhammad Khan Junejo
Independent

General elections were held in Pakistan on 25 February 1985 to elect members of the National Assembly. [1] The elections were held under the military government of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq after the restoration of the 1973 constitution.

Contents

Around 1,300 candidates contested the elections, which were held on a nonpartisan basis. [2] Each candidate was required to have their nomination paper signed by 50 registered voters from the constituency they wished to stand in. [3] In an attempt to disqualify a large number of opposition candidates and secure a conservative leadership, Zia-ul-Haq introduced amendments to the Political Parties Act of 1962. As a result, the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD), which was calling for an end to the military regime, boycotted the elections. [4]

Voter turnout was 54%. Most of the elected MNAs were supporters of the Zia regime. A new government was formed under the leadership of Muhammad Khan Junejo, a lesser known figure in national politics. Prime Minister Junejo and his followers subsequently established the pro-Zia conservative Pakistan Muslim League.

Results

PartyVotes%Seats
Independents16,889,392100.00217
Seats reserved for women20
Total16,889,392100.00237
Valid votes16,889,39296.69
Invalid/blank votes578,6413.31
Total votes17,468,033100.00
Registered voters/turnout32,528,99653.70
Source: FAFEN

Aftermath

Following the elections, Muhammad Khan Junejo was appointed Prime Minister and later formed a new party, the Pakistan Muslim League. The election boycott was viewed to have been a misstep for the MRD, which had assumed the public would support its stance. [4]

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References

  1. Pakistan Inter-Parliamentary Union
  2. Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I, p678 ISBN   0-19-924958-X
  3. Report on the General Elections, 1985, Election Commission of Pakistan, 1986, p300
  4. 1 2 General Elections, February 1985 Story of Pakistan