Pakistan’s rival political forces have agreed to hold provincial and national elections on the same day, a move that signals a slight concession from Imran Khan, who has been pushing for snap polls.
(Bloomberg) — Pakistan’s rival political forces have agreed to hold provincial and national elections on the same day, a move that signals a slight concession from Imran Khan, who has been pushing for snap polls.
The decision was announced after the third round of talks late Tuesday night between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ruling coalition and Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, although crucially, no date was set for the elections.
“We showed flexibility for a national consensus that we accepted one-day election proposal and wish for caretaker setup,” PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters after the talks.
The two teams have been locked in discussions since April 27, the same night Sharif called and won a vote of confidence in a bid to shore up his position. The impasse over the poll dates has seen parliament defy a Supreme Court order and block the release of funds aimed at enabling local elections to be held.
“The two sides have their own dates. There is some flexibility but there is no decision on it,” Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said in Islamabad, adding that both sides need to talk to their leadership before agreeing next steps.
Since Khan’s removal from power last year, he’s held mass rallies across the country, led his PTI party to quit the National Assembly, and forced the dissolution of the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa local legislatures. He’d been pushing for early elections in these two provinces in a bid to prove his popularity and pressure the government to hold early national polls.
How Imran Khan’s Poll Demand Sparked a New Pakistan Crisis: Q&A
Sharif had repeatedly rejected this, saying the country needs to focus on fixing the faltering economy, and promising a general election will take place once his administration completes its term in August.
The government is still trying to meet the conditions to revive a stalled IMF bailout package, key to avoiding a default. The rupee has lost a third of its value in the past year, while interest rates have been hiked to an all-time high to control record inflation.
Pakistan’s Inflation Outpaces Sri Lanka as Asia’s Fastest
The political deadlock has also sucked in the country’s top court with the chief justice previously ruling that the Punjab provincial poll should go ahead on May 14. It’s not clear where this latest development leaves that verdict, or when the two sides will meet again.
(Updates throughout)
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.