Pakistani opposition leaders to meet ahead of tomorrow’s rally
Pakistan’s opposition leaders will meet today in preparation for anti-government rallies taking place across the country tomorrow.
The opposition leaders, under the umbrella of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)–an alliance of parties against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI)–recently accused PTI of corruption and rigging elections over the past 3 years. Furthermore, the PDM claims that the PTI’s proposed election reforms, which include the implementation of electronic voting machines and the use of registration data for electoral rolls, will be used as tools to “steal” future elections. The opposition leaders also plan to release a white paper that will supposedly expose the PTI’s corruption and electoral misconduct.
Expect the protests to give the PDM momentum that it can channel into more gatherings and an increased presence in Pakistani politics, potentially challenging the PTI’s National Assembly majority. The rallies and the content of the white paper will also likely galvanize Pakistanis to oppose, or at least draw attention to, the government’s planned electoral reforms and the PDM’s arguments against them which could bring heightened instability to Pakistani politics. Ultimately, this form of public protest could result in broad demands for more transparency in the country’s elections.
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