Pakistan is all set to hold elections for the Lower House of Parliament and assemblies in its four provinces on May 11.
The General Election is historic as it will mark the first time that an elected government completes a full term and transfers power to another.
Pakistan has a first-past-the-post electoral system for national and provincial constituencies.
Thousands of candidates will contest 272 of the 342 seats in the National Assembly with the remaining seats being reserved for non-Muslims (10) and women (60).
The main parties contesting the election are: Pakistan People`s Party, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Pakistan Muslim League (Q), Muttahida Qaumi Movement
Seats are allocated on the basis of population.
Of the 272 National Assembly seats, 148 are in Punjab province, 61 in Sindh, 35 in North West Frontier, 14 in Baluchistan, 12 in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and two in Islamabad.
Polling stations open from 8 pm to 5 pm local time. Out of 86,189,802 registered voters, 48,592,387 are men and 37,597,415 are women.
Over 600,000 security personnel will be deployed at polling station to guard against militant attacks.
Elected lawmakers elect Pakistan’s premier and four provincial chief ministers by majority vote.
Compiled by: Kamna Arora
First Published: Tuesday, May 7, 2013, 14:12
(The views expressed by the author are personal)
