The assassination of Benazir Bhutto has left a huge vacuum in Pakistani politics at a juncture where her presence was vital to the transition towards democracy. The widespread riots following her death provided the government with a pretext to postpone the elections, initially scheduled for January 8. The rioters damaged some election offices and equipment in Bhutto’s home province, Sindh. Analysts note that elections could have been held in the few constituencies where this had happened. Critics also argue that the government should have taken the opposition parties into confidence regarding the election date. When the main parties, including the bereaved Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) of Benazir Bhutto, as well as its former rival the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) led by Nawaz Sharif, were willing to participate in the polls, there was no reason to postpone them.

The delay hardly came as a surprise. Many hold the Musharraf-led government responsible for Bhutto’s death, either directly or because of negligence. The sympathy vote for her party, given that she was killed just twelve days before the elections, would have swept it to victory. The PPP’s electoral alliance with PML-N also challenges the PML-Q, the “king’s party” that has ruled the country with the military’s backing for the past five years. The rise of public anger against the PML-Q, as evident in its electoral posters and banners being torn down and damaged all over the country, made it clear that the party would have a hard time at the polls.

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