1988 Pakistani general election

1988 Pakistani general election

← 1985 16 November 1988 1990 →
217 of the 237 seats in National Assembly 109 seats needed for a majority
Registered	47,629,892
Turnout	42.75% (10.95pp)
First party Second party   Leader Benazir Bhutto Nawaz Sharif Party PPP IJI Seats won 94 56 Popular vote 7,546,561 5,908,742 Percentage 37.66% 29.48%
Map of Pakistan showing National Assembly Constituencies and winning parties
Prime minister before election None (presidential rule) Elected Prime minister Benazir Bhutto PPP

Politics of Pakistan
Federalism Federal government Provincial governments: Punjab Sindh KPK Balochistan Islamabad (Administration) Governors: Sardar Saleem Haider(Punjab) Kamran Tessori(Sindh) Faisal Karim Kundi(KPK) Sheikh Jaffar Khan(Balochistan) Syed Mehdi Shah(Gilgit-Baltistan) Chief Ministers: Maryam Nawaz(Punjab) Murad Ali Shah(Sindh) Ali Amin Gandapur(KPK) Sarfraz Bugti(Balochistan) Gulbar Khan(Gilgit-Baltistan) Provincial assemblies of Pakistan: Punjab Sindh KPK Balochistan Gilgi-Baltistan Azad Kashmir government President: Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry Prime Minister: Chaudhry Anwarul Haq Legislative Assembly Government of Gilgit-Baltistan Local government Divisions Districts Tehsil UCs
Parliament Senate (Upper House) Chairman: Yousaf Raza Gillani Deputy Chairman: Syedaal Khan Nasar (PML(N)) Leader of the House: Ishaq Dar (PML(N)) Opposition leader: Shibli Faraz (PTI) National Assembly (Lower House) Leader of the House: Shehbaz Sharif (PML(N)) Speaker: Ayaz Sadiq (PML(N)) Deputy speaker: Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah (PPP) Leader of the Opposition: Omar Ayub Khan Constitution of Pakistan Previous constitutions:1956 1962 1973 Annex (written 1949, incorporated 1985) Amendments Law Pakistan Penal Code Human rights
Executive President of Pakistan: Asif Ali Zardari (PPP) List of presidents of Pakistan Prime Minister of Pakistan: Shahbaz Sharif (PML-N) List of prime ministers of Pakistan Cabinet of Pakistan Cabinet Secretary
Judiciary Supreme Court of Pakistan Chief Justice: Yahya Afridi List of justices Judges appointment body: Supreme Judicial Council and Judicial Commission High courts: Islamabad, Punjab, Sindh, KPK, Balochistan, Shariat Court Territorial courts: AJK supreme court, AJK High court, Gilgit-Baltistan supreme court, Gilgit-Baltistan High Court Special courts: Anti Terrorism Courts, Accountability Courts District Courts
Elections Democracy Election Commission of Pakistan Chief Election Commissioner: Sikandar Sultan Raja Electoral College Territorial election commission AJK Election Commission Chief Election Commissioner of AJK: Abdul Rashid Sulehria Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission Chief Election Commissioner of Gilgit-Baltistan: Raja Shah Baz Khan Elections Presidential: 2008 2013 2018 2024 General: 1970 1977 1985 1988 1990 1993 1997 2002 2008 2013 2018 2024 Provincial elections Punjab: 2002 2008 2013 2018 2024 Sindh: 2002 2008 2013 2018 2024 KPK: 2002 2008 2013 2018 2024 Balochistan: 2002 2008 2013 2018 2024 Territorial elections Azad Kashmir: 1970 1975 1985 1990 1991 1996 2001 2006 2011 2016 2021 Gilgit-Baltistan: 2009 2015 2020 Political parties Pakistan Muslim League (N) Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Pakistan Peoples Party Complete list
Administrative units Capital territory Islamabad Provinces Balochistan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Punjab Sindh Autonomous region Azad Kashmir Gilgit-Baltistan
Foreign relations Diplomacy Ministry of Foreign Affairs Minister of Foreign Affairs Foreign Secretary Diplomatic missions of / in Pakistan Customs Passport Visa requirements Visa policy Regional topics Kashmir conflict India China United States
Pakistan portal
v t e

General elections were held in Pakistan on 16 November 1988 to elect the members of the National Assembly and Senate.

The elections saw the resurgence of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) under the leadership of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's daughter, Benazir. Supporters of President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, who had died in August 1988, reorganised themselves into a nine-party alliance, the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) with support from the intelligence agencies.^[1] This marked the beginning of a decade-long two-party system between the left-wing PPP and right-wing IJI and its successor the Pakistan Muslim League (N).

The PPP emerged as the biggest party, winning 94 of the 207 seats in the National Assembly. The IJI came second with 56 seats amidst a voter turnout of just 43%. The PPP was able to form a government with other left-wing parties, including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), with Bhutto becoming the first female Prime Minister in a Muslim country.