Janus in Islamabad - By Emily Cadei. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Nearly 15 years after he was ousted in a bloodless coup, business tycoon Nawaz Sharif and his center-right party are poised to regain control over Pakistan's government, according to early returns from the historic May 11 vote -- the first transfer of power from one elected government to another in the country's history. Like the last two times he won the premiership, Sharif appears to have ridden to power on the back of strong support from his Punjabi heartland, a province that is home to much of the Pakistani elite, but also a patchwork of violent sectarian and Islamic groups. Nobody has ever accused Sharif, himself, of being an extremist, but like anywhere else, success in Pakistani politics requires playing to the base.
Take Sharif’s push in 1998, during his second stint as prime minister, to pass a constitutional amendment that would have imposed sharia law across the country. Former Pakistani Ambassador to the United States Maleeha Lodhi put it more directly. Pakistan : trois raisons d'espérer, et autant d'en désespérer - Pale Moon. Le Monde.fr | • Mis à jour le | Par Frédéric Bobin Islamabad, envoyé spécial. C'est toujours la même métaphore : le verre à moitié plein et le verre à moitié vide. Ou disons plutôt en l'occurrence : le verre au quart plein et le verre aux trois quarts vide. Le Pakistan ne manque pas d'avancées timides, de progrès silencieux et de percées souterraines, mais ses maux sont si spectaculaires – terrorisme, tradition prétorienne, corruption, mal-développement – qu'on ne retient qu'eux à l'extérieur.
L'image du Pakistan sur la scène internationale est désastreuse et il en est le premier responsable. Et pourtant, à l'heure du bilan de cette campagne électorale pour les élections législatives du 11 mai, il est aussi un exercice auquel on peut s'adonner le cœur un peu plus léger : braquer le projecteur sur le quart-plein du verre. Cette élection doit être marquée d'une pierre blanche. Lire (en zone abonnés) : La rivalité sunnites-chiites au Pakistan, un des défis du futur premier ministre.
Pakistan campaigning ends ahead of election. 10 May 2013Last updated at 04:40 ET Coups, conflict and cricketers: Pakistan's vital election - in 90 seconds Campaigning in Pakistan ahead of Saturday's general election has ended, with candidates holding final rallies. The election will mark the country's first successful transition from one civilian government to another in its 66-year history. However, the run-up to the election has been marred by violence in which more than 100 people have been killed. On Thursday, the son of former Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani was seized during an election rally. Ali Haider - a candidate for the Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) - was seized in the central city of Multan, Mr Gilani said.
In the latest violence: The end of campaigning was marked with emotional pleas by some candidates. 'National honour' "If you give us five years you will see that we can change the fate of this country," he said. He accused his opponents of selling the nation's honour and vowed that his party would be different.
Pakistan election: Nawaz Sharif 'set for victory' 12 May 2013Last updated at 06:41 ET The BBC's Lyse Doucet: "It was the highest voter turnout in decades" Former Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif has claimed victory in general elections. Projections based on partial results suggest a big lead for Mr Sharif's Muslim League (PML-N) party. Saturday's election saw a large turnout and should pave the way for the country's first transition from one elected government to another. The governing Pakistan People's Party has lost many seats. Most of the remaining PPP seats look likely to be in its heartland of Sindh province.
The poll was generally seen as having passed off successfully, but violence on Saturday claimed at least 24 lives. Continue reading the main story Analysis M Ilyas KhanBBC News, Islamabad Of the many surprises thrown up by Pakistani elections, the most important is the possibility that twice Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could win a straight majority instead of having to cobble together a coalition, as was earlier expected. 'Thank Allah'
Nawaz Sharif set to return as Pakistani PM, will Imran Khan join government? - Report: Pakistan elections 2013. Supporters of Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-N were in a state of euphoria on Saturday night as early results came through, chanting and dancing at the party headquarters, which is also one of the Sharif family’s homes. Flanked by his brother, outgoing Punjab chief minister Shahbaz, and his daughter, Maryam, Sharif addressed the ecstatic crowd from the house’s balcony, telling them he expected to be back in government soon. Sharif was kicked out of power in 1999 when army Chief of Staff Pervez Musharraf seized power and jailed him for supposedly plotting the general’s murder, later accepting a deal which led to Sharif going into exile.
He repeated his wish to avoid a coalition but appealed to other parties to work with him to solve Pakistan’s huge economic problems, leaving the door open to coalition negotiations in the likely event of the PML-N not having an absolute majority. Parties need 172 seats to form a government alone.