2013 Pakistani general election
General elections were held in Pakistan on Saturday 11 May 2013 to elect the members of the 14th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. The three major parties were the Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) led by Nawaz Sharif, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) led by President Asif Ali Zardari and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by Imran Khan. Prior to the elections, the ruling PPP formed an alliance with the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) and Awami National Party, while the main opposition party, the PML-N allied with the Pakistan Muslim League (F) and Baloch parties. The PTI led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, also emerged as a key-player.
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All 342 seats in the National Assembly 172 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 55.02%(10.68pp) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results by constituency | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Pakistan portal |
The result was a hung parliament, with the PML-N receiving the most votes and winning the most seats, but falling six seats short of a majority. However, following the elections, 19 independent MPs joined the PML-N, allowing it to form a government alone with Nawaz Sharif as new Prime Minister.
In the provincial elections, the PPP was able to defend its majority in Sindh. The PTI won the most seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the first time it had gained control of a province. The PML-N emerged as the largest party in Punjab and Balochistan.
The elections were the first civilian transfer of power following the successful completion of a five-year term by a democratically elected government.