Aftermath
Nawaz Sharif described the results as reflecting the country's desire for an end to chaos. Benazir Bhutto had threatened to not recognise the results if the PPP lost, but despite alleging that election officials had rigged the election by filling in extra ballots, she did not call for protests, saying that Pakistan needed political stability. International observors from the European Union and the Commonwealth of Nations said the election met basic conditions but would not describe it as 'free and fair'.
Nawaz Sharif was confirmed as prime minister by the National Assembly receiving 177 votes against 16 for the PPP candidate Aftab Shaban Mirani. He took office on the 18 February with a new cabinet named on 26 February.
Read more about this topic: Pakistani General Election, 1997
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“The aftermath of joy is not usually more joy.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)