The Observer view on Pakistan voters’ rejection of military rule | Observer editorial
Last week’s elections are a cause for celebration in light of the military’s decades-long stranglehold on power
It’s not often that Pakistanis find something to cheer about, given the severity of the country’s cost of living, security, energy, employment and environmental problems – but the results of last week’s general election are definitely worth celebrating. It is not so much the final outcome that matters: that remains uncertain. It is that voters turned out in huge numbers to exercise their democratic rights and successfully thwart the army’s blatant efforts to steal the contest.
With most results in, it is plain that Nawaz Sharif, a veteran former prime minister, and his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), have failed to secure the outright victory predicted by many analysts. Instead, independent candidates loyal to Imran Khan, jailed leader of the banned Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, won the most seats, with the once dominant Pakistan People’s party (PPP) trailing in third place.
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