2002 Pakistani general election

General elections were held in Pakistan on 10 October 2002 to elect the National Assembly and four provincial assemblies.

2002 Pakistani general election

10 October 2002
All 342 seats of the National Assembly 172 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	41.8% (5.8pp)
First party Second party   Leader Zafarullah Khan Jamali Ameen Faheem Party PML(Q) PPPP Leader since 20 July 2002 8 June 2002 Leader's seat Nasirabad Hyderabad-I Last election – 18 seats, 21.78% Seats won 126 81 Seat change New 63 Popular vote 7,500,797 7,616,033 Percentage 25.66% 26.05% Swing – 4.27pp   Third party Fourth party   Leader Fazal-ur-Rehman Javed Hashmi Party MMA PML(N) Leader since 2002 2001 Leader's seat Dera Ismail Khan-I Multan-II Last election – 137, 45.9% Seats won 63 19 Seat change New 118 Popular vote 3,335,643 3,409,805 Percentage 11.41% 11.66% Swing – 34.34pp
Results of elections showing political parties. † Change from JUI factions total vote share at the 1997 election which JI had boycotted. Parliament House Islamabad
Prime Minister before election None (Military Coup) Elected Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali PML (Q)

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The elections were held under the military government of Pervez Musharraf.[1] The two mainstream parties, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N), had several restrictions imposed on them and their leaders Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were in exile. In order to address the restrictions, the PPP created the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) under the leadership of Ameen Faheem, to contest the elections on its behalf. The PML-N was also suffering from the party's division into two factions: one that remained loyal to Sharif and were contesting the elections under the leadership of Javed Hashmi, and the other which had broken away to form the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League (Q) (PML-Q).

The emergence of the PML-Q marked the beginning of a multi-party system in the country, bringing an end to the decade-long two-party system between the PPP and PML-N. Although its senior leadership was conservative, the PML-Q ideologically aligned themselves with Musharraf's liberal views. In opposition to the liberal regime of Musharraf, Islamist parties organised themselves into the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance, bringing another key player into the political arena.

In the National Assembly elections, the PPPP received the most votes but the PML-Q won the most seats, winning 126 to the PPPP's 81. At the provincial level, the MMA emerged as the largest party in Balochistan and North-West Frontier Province. The PML-N lost its stronghold of Punjab to the PML-Q, while in Sindh there was a hung parliament, with the PPP winning more seats than the National Alliance. Voter turnout was 41.8%.

Although the founder of the PML-Q Mian Muhammad Azhar was considered the most likely candidate to become Prime Minister, he failed to win a seat in the National Assembly. Instead a senior party leader Zafarullah Khan Jamali was tasked with leading the new government. Meanwhile, the MMA leader Fazal-ur-Rehman became the Leader of the Opposition.