# General Election of October 2002 (10 October 2002)

URL: https://allhistories.com/pakistan/timeline/2002-general-election-of-october-2002
Location: Pakistan (nationwide)
Themes: Terrorism, Journalism

Pakistan held National Assembly and provincial elections on 10 October 2002 under the military government. The Pakistan Muslim League (Q), seen as supportive of the general, won the most seats; the Pakistan Peoples Party took the largest share of the popular vote at about 26 percent. Turnout was about 41.8 percent. The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, an alliance of religious parties, won 59 seats and formed governments in the North-West Frontier Province and a coalition in Balochistan. Candidates had to hold a university degree, which excluded many, though religious school certificates counted as equivalent. Leaders of the main parties were in exile or barred, and observers criticised the process. Seat totals for the winners differ between sources. Zafarullah Khan Jamali became prime minister on 21 November 2002. The Islamist alliance was the strongest opposition and its success reflected anti-American feeling over the war in Afghanistan. The government that emerged depended on the president and the army, and it lasted a full parliamentary term. At this point in the timeline (2002), Pakistan's head of state was President Pervez Musharraf (20 June 2001 – 18 August 2008).

## Why it matters
It returned a civilian parliament under military supervision and gave religious parties an unusually strong electoral showing.

Ruler at the Time: [Pervez Musharraf](https://allhistories.com/pakistan/rulers/pervez-musharraf)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — 2002 Pakistani general election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Pakistani_general_election)
- [Wikipedia — Legal Framework Order, 2002](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_Framework_Order,_2002)