1990 Pakistani general election

1990 Pakistani general election

← 1988 24 October 1990 1993 →

All 217 seats in National Assembly
109 seats seats needed for a majority
Turnout45.17%
  First party Second party
 
Leader Nawaz Sharif Benazir Bhutto
Party PML PPP
Alliance IJI PDA
Last election 56 seats 94
Seats after 106 44
Seat change Increase50 Decrease50
Popular vote 7,908,513 7,795,218
Percentage 36.54% 36.01%

Winning party by constituency

Prime minister before election

Benazir Bhutto
PPP

Elected Prime minister

Nawaz Sharif
IJI

General elections were held in Pakistan on 24 October 1990 to elect the members of the National Assembly. The elections were primarily a contest between the People's Democratic Alliance (PDA, a four party alliance led by the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of Benazir Bhutto) and the conservative nine-party alliance, Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) headed by Nawaz Sharif.

President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dissolved the National Assembly and dismissed Bhutto's government in August 1990 on charges of corruption and maladministration.[1] However, the PPP was still extremely popular and there was a fear amongst anti-PPP forces that it might be re-elected. Numerous steps were taken by Ishaq with help of the military establishment to sway the results in favour of the IJI, including the appointment of IJI chairman Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi as caretaker Prime Minister.[2] Despite their efforts, the PPP remained ahead in opinion polls.[3]

However, the result was a surprise victory for the IJI, which won 111 of the 207 general seats (a further ten were reserved for minority voters). The PDA won just 44 seats amidst a voter turnout of only 45%. The IJI's parliamentary leader Sharif became Prime Minister while Bhutto became the Opposition Leader. In 2012 the Supreme Court ruled that the elections had been rigged.[3]


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