Pakistan Elections

Just a few quick thoughts.


One: Musharraf got voted out everywhere. PML-Q - the "King's party" was the only party that ran a campaign on their "record" and its major figures, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Sheikh Rashid, Wasi Zafar etc., were main characters in the Musharraf soap-operatic democracy. They are all voted out on the national scene. I think that the recent economic pains - lack of flour in the market, rising costs of water and electricity - had a lot to do with PLM-Q's defeat.

Two: PPP is the only national party in the country. It won seats in every state. No other party won was able to do that. Much of that has to do with the after-shocks of Benazir Bhutto's assassination but it is also a reflection of how restrictive the ethnic or regional based agendas the rest of the parties have.

Three: No great surprise, the Islamist parties lost - and lost heavily. In the northwestern regions, they lost to the secular, center-left Awami National Party (ANP) by huge margins. This should be a clear sign to the US policy makers that their understanding for Pakistan's possible futures is not the reductive and wrong, Musharraf or Mullah.

I appeared on Chicago Public Radio's Worldview this morning for a brief chat. I think our blog audience may also be interested in hearing my initial thoughts.

Juan Cole has already put up a terrific post and I am hoping we can hear from Barney Rubin soon.