Pakistani General Election, 1997

Pakistani General Election, 1997

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The Pakistan general election of 1997 was held in on 3 February 1997 to elect the National Assembly of Pakistan and the four provincial assemblies. The election featured a fierce contest between ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) led by incumbent prime minister Benazir Bhutto and the PML(N) led by conservative leader Nawaz Sharif. Nawaz Sharif was highly benefited and aided by the controversial death of populist leader Murtaza Bhutto, the worsening economy at home and won the election in a landslide, receiving the highest number of votes ever won by a nonincumbent prime ministerial candidate. Sharif subsequently became the 12th prime minister of Pakistan.

The election took place after the previous Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government of Benazir Bhutto was dismissed by President Farooq Leghari for concerning matters of national security. Benazir Bhutto's government suffered with financial mismanagement, corruption charges, racial tensions in her native province, issues with Supreme court, the serious violation of the constitution, and leaders in PPP, notably Murtaza Bhutto, who were determined to end Asif Ali Zardari's involvement in government affairs.

The Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) of Nawaz Sharif won a landslide victory in the election, for the first time in the history of Pakistan. Sharif was sworn in as Prime Minister on 17 February. Voter turnout was 36.0%.

Read more about Pakistani General Election, 1997:  Background, Campaign, Results, Aftermath

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