Pakistan’s elections are set for early next year


Pakistani election authorities have announced (🇵🇰) the next general election will take place in late January, instead of this coming November.

Pakistan hasn’t had an elected parliament since 9 August, and it’s facing the full spectrum of crises right now:

  • 💸 The poverty rate remains stubbornly high at around 40%
  • 📈 Energy prices have skyrocketed, triggering protests, and
  • 🎖️ A series of political and institutional crises have eroded popular trust in institutions, further entrenching the military’s role.

So these election delays add to the air of uncertainty in Pakistan right now.

Intrigue’s take: Of course, elections in Pakistan don’t exactly have a track record of restoring stability, either: in 76 years, no prime minister has completed their full five-year term. Toss the country’s nukes into the mix, and you have elections well worth watching.

Also worth noting:

  • Former leader Imran Khan’s party won a majority of seats at the 2018 election, before being ousted in a no-confidence motion in 2022. He was arrested earlier this year on corruption charges.
  • A court just extended Khan’s detention in relation to allegations he leaked a classified Pakistani cable. His supporters say the cable shows US involvement in Khan’s ousting. The US rejects these claims.
Latest Author Articles
Another coup in Thailand?

You’re chatting away on the phone after a crappy few weeks at work: yep, Jenny from accounts is at it again, and don’t even get us started on Barry from marketing. So you vent, throw a little shade, maybe sprinkle in some spice — it’s a private call. You do you, right? Wrong.  Thailand’s prime […]

2 July, 2025
Why the world is having fewer babies

Why are a bunch of ex-diplomats talking about babies and birth rates? Sure, it’s like a mango sorbet palate-cleanser amid all the war and rumours of war. But natality is also one of those slow-moving forces that can completely transform our world. How? Last century, the dominant narrative was that populations were too big, with leaders in China, Vietnam […]

11 June, 2025
Xi and Trump talk for the first time

Sometimes, the shortest press releases generate the most headlines.   Take Thursday’s press release from China’s state broadcaster: “Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday held phone talks with U.S. President Donald Trump at the latter’s request.”  As you’d expect, given the feverish geopolitical climate of today, those 18 words were enough to trigger a visceral reaction in any US-China […]

6 June, 2025
Meet South Korea’s new president

It’s been a tumultuous six months for South Korea. One failed martial law declaration, one impeachment, and three acting presidents later, and South Koreans finally have a permanent president again. Opposition candidate Lee Jae-myung from the left-leaning Democratic Party of Korea won yesterday’s election with 49% of the vote, defeating Kim Moon-soo from the ruling People […]

4 June, 2025