Premier Ousted in ’93 Looks Poised to Rule Pakistan Again

Nawaz Sharif, forced out as Pakistan’s prime minister in 1993 for economic mismanagement and alleged corruption, appeared poised Monday to return to office after an election marked by a record low voter turnout.

Although only preliminary results in voting for the 217-seat parliament were available late Monday, they showed Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League leading in races across the country, ahead of the Pakistan People’s Party of ousted Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

The election was ordered after President Farooq Leghari dismissed Bhutto in November for alleged corruption and abuse of power.

Only one official result was announced by late Monday, when the Pakistan Muslim League took the only National Assembly seat for Islamabad, the capital.

However, Sharif claimed victory based on the preliminary reports of voting results.

Sharif was exuberant, telling supporters in Lahore that reports from his party’s poll workers showed that the Pakistan Muslim League would win a parliamentary majority. This would allow him to form a government without seeking coalition partners.

Bhutto’s supporters alleged election fraud. Bhutto had vowed to reject the results if she lost.

Independent election observers reported no serious irregularities, although reporters saw scattered incidents in which women were forced from the polls in one province. The observers also noted a general apathy, and the 26% turnout in the parliamentary elections reflected widespread despair over the state of Pakistani democracy.

“I don’t give a damn about voting,” said Lahore resident Mohammed Abdul. “[Politicians] get elected. They make promises about roads. Then they never build the roads.”