Elections were held on 12 November 2009 in the province of Gilgit-Baltistan for the first time to elect the first Assembly of Gilgit-Baltistan.[1]
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24 of the 33 seats in the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly 17 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 60.70% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Map of Gilgit-Baltistan showing Assembly Constituencies and winning parties | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Background
editThe region of Gilgit-Baltistan was formerly known as Northern Areas. The Northern Areas were formed by joining Gilgit Agency and Baltistan regions in 1970 but the Northern Areas were ruled directly from Islamabad. In 2009 the Government of Pakistan passed an Autonomy Order known as Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-governance Order, 2009 which was signed by the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari in September 2009.[2]
Parties and Candidates
edit264 candidates out of which 99 from 10 different political parties and 165 independent candidates contested for 24 seats across Gilgit-Baltistan.[3]
| Party | Seats Contested | |
|---|---|---|
| PPP | 23 | |
| MQM | 20 | |
| PML-N | 15 | |
| PML-Q | 14 | |
| GBDA | 10 | |
| JUI-F | 6 | |
| BNF | 4 | |
| ANP | 3 | |
| JI | 2 | |
| PTI | 2 | |
| IND | 165 | |
Campaign and Polling
editVoting took place on 12 November 2009 on Morning 9 AM to 4 PM without any break. 1022 polling stations were set up across Gilgit-Baltistan out of which 200 polling stations were considered sensitive. 5000 law enforcement personnel was hired for security.[4][5]
Result
editThe Pakistan People's Party emerged as the largest party in the assembly by winning 20 seats out of 33. The assembly members took oath on 10 December 2009 and Syed Mehdi Shah became the 1st Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan unopposed.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly Elections FAFEN Recommendations for Rule-Based Voting". Free and Fair Election Network. 2009-11-12. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
- ^ "Autonomy order for Gilgit, Baltistan signed". DAWN.COM. 2009-09-08. Retrieved 2018-10-19.
- ^ "Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly Elections FAFEN Recommendations for Rule-Based Voting". Free and Fair Election Network. 2009-11-12. Retrieved 2018-10-19.
- ^ "[News] Polling is in Progress in Gilgit-Baltistan". Gilgit-Baltistan Times. 2009-11-12. Retrieved 2018-10-19.
- ^ "Gilgit-Baltistan Goes to Vote | ALL THINGS PAKISTAN". ALL THINGS PAKISTAN. 2009-11-12. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
- ^ "GBLA members take oath". DAWN.COM. 2009-12-11. Retrieved 2018-10-18.