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217 of the 237 seats in the National Assembly 109 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 53.70% | |||||||||||||||
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 Results by constituency | ||||||||||||||||
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 Pakistan portal |
General elections were held in Pakistan on 25 February 1985 to elect members of the National Assembly.[1] The elections were held under the military government of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq after the restoration of the 1973 constitution.
Around 1,300 candidates contested the elections, which were held on a nonpartisan basis.[2] Each candidate was required to have their nomination paper signed by 50 registered voters from the constituency they wished to stand in.[3] In an attempt to disqualify a large number of opposition candidates and secure a conservative leadership, Zia-ul-Haq introduced amendments to the Political Parties Act of 1962. As a result, the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD), which was calling for an end to the military regime, boycotted the elections.[4]
Voter turnout was 54%. Most of the elected MNAs were supporters of the Zia regime. A new government was formed under the leadership of Muhammad Khan Junejo, a lesser known figure in national politics. Prime Minister Junejo and his followers subsequently established the pro-Zia conservative Pakistan Muslim League.
- ^ Pakistan Inter-Parliamentary Union
- ^ Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I, p678 ISBN 0-19-924958-X
- ^ Report on the General Elections, 1985, Election Commission of Pakistan, 1986, p300
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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