1985 Pakistani general election

General elections were held in Pakistan on 28 February 1985 to elect members of the National Assembly.[1] The elections were held under the military government of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq after the restoration of the 1973 constitution.

1985 Pakistani general election
28 February 1985
All 237 seats in National Assembly
119 seats needed for a majority
Turnout52.93% ( 10.17%)
  First party
 
Party Independent
Seats before 8
Seats won 237
Seat change 229
Percentage 100%
Winning party by constituency
Prime Minister before election

None (vacant since 1977)

 Elected Prime Minister

Muhammad Khan Junejo
Independent

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Around 1,300 candidates contested the elections, which were held on a nonpartisan basis.[2] Each candidate was required to have their nomination paper signed by 50 registered voters from the constituency they wished to stand in.[3] In an attempt to disqualify a large number of opposition candidates and secure a conservative leadership, Zia-ul-Haq introduced amendments to the Political Parties Act of 1962. As a result, the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD), which was calling for an end to the military regime, boycotted the elections.[4]

Voter turnout was 52.93%, considerably lower than the previous two elections.[1] Most of the elected MNAs were supporters of the Zia regime. A new government was formed under the leadership of Muhammad Khan Junejo, a lesser known figure in national politics. Prime Minister Junejo and his followers subsequently established the pro-Zia conservative Pakistan Muslim League.

Results
Party Votes % Seats
Independents100207
Seats reserved for women––21
Seats reserved for non-Muslim minorities––9
Invalid/blank votes––
Total17,250,482100237
Registered voters/turnout32,589,99652.93–
Source: IPU

Aftermath

Following the elections, Muhammad Khan Junejo was appointed Prime Minister and later formed a new party, the Pakistan Muslim League. The election boycott was viewed to have been a misstep for the MRD, which had assumed the public would support its stance.[4]

References
  1. Pakistan Inter-Parliamentary Union
  2. Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I, p678 ISBN 0-19-924958-X
  3. Report on the General Elections, 1985, Election Commission of Pakistan, 1986, p300
  4. General Elections, February 1985 Story of Pakistan
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