Legislative elections May 2013

A number of recent developments make the 11 May elections currently under preparation in Pakistan a historic occasion. For the first time in its history, a government has managed to complete its term. It has taken 66 years for a government elected at the ballot box to do so – though not without constant fears of direct or indirect military intervention. Ever since the United States linked payment of 7.5 billion dollars of aid (through the Kerry-Lugar Act) to the condition that the military must remain subordinate to the civilian government, the former has resorted to myriad forms of indirect intervention. Regardless of the fact that not all the aid has been disbursed, the Obama administration's new stance has contributed to changing the visibility of the military and intelligence services' room for manoeuvre, albeit without any modification to these groups' interests or strategic objectives. Even less so when foreign troops are expected to be withdrawn from neighbouring Afghanistan in 2014.

EThis publication was made possible thanks to funding from the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID).