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STRATFOR.com
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Pakistan: Election Laws Target Islamists
February 7, 2002
Summary
Pakistani political parties are positioning themselves for elections this summer, the first since President Pervez Musharraf seized power more than two years ago. A new election law will make it more difficult for Islamist parties to win seats, giving Musharraf a measure of breathing room and more stability for his government.
Analysis
Political parties in Pakistan are gearing up for the country's first elections since President Pervez Musharraf took over the government in a military coup almost three years ago. Protesters from the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) demanded Feb. 2 that the government allow exiled party leader and potential Musharraf rival Benazir Bhutto to return to Pakistan.
All the parties are maneuvering to adjust to a recent election-reform law announced by Musharraf in January. The law appears designed to limit the power of fundamentalist Islamic groups in parliament while slowly reintegrating the nation's traditional political parties. Limiting the power of fundamentalist parties will add a level of stability to Pakistan's domestic politics and will set the stage for Musharraf to eventually step down from power.
The new law adds to the lower house 40 more seats for women, who already had 20, and 25 for technocrats such as current and former business and government officials. It also takes away the 10 seats allotted for Christians, Hindus and other religious minorities, but it will allow them to run as ordinary candidates, a decision they have been requesting for years. Another 58 general seats were added to the lower house as well, bringing the total number of parliament seats to 350. Finally, Musharraf added a controversial provision that all candidates must have a bachelor's degree or higher.
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(c) 2001 Stratfor, Inc.
Dan
Pakistan: Election Laws Target Islamists . . .