The choice before the voters today is by no means simple. The contest is oddly distorted, for it is not a simple binary, of the PPP versus the PML(N), which was the main theme of all contests between 1993 and 2013. In 2018, the PTI intruded, and is one of the main contenders in this election, but is nowhere on the ballot. Also, its leader, ousted PM Imran Khan, is nowhere on the ballot, not even as an independent, which is how PTI candidates are contesting. At the same time, the voter is confronted by a poverty of choice. There is little clarity amongst the parties about how to tackle the major economic crisis facing the nation, and which shows itself in the combination of stagnant growth and high inflation, or stagflation. Major debt servicing payments coming up mean that the country needs IMF loans to keep afloat, and while its conditionalities ensure that growth remains low, no major party has indicated how it intends to tackle this issue. In other words, the voter is going in blind, and there is a strong suspicion that no party really knows what to do.
There is also the elephant in the room. All three parties have had problems with the military. The PPP and the PML(N) have both been ousted by martial law, not to mention having PMs removed by presidential dissolutions. The PTI was also blaming the establishment for its ouster. At the same time, the election was supposed to deliver the kind of political stability that would allow an economic recovery. Without a universal acceptance of election results, it seems that stability will not be achieved. If the economy does not recover, which means for most people inflation going down, much of the sheen will be rubbed off the result, making it even more difficult to stabilize the economy.
Though the economy is the biggest challenge to the incoming government, it will face many other issues, such as surviving in a tough neighbourhood. Relations with both western and eastern neighbours are off-limits, which defeats the purpose of popular government. Both also involve issues of trade, which should not be made hostage to politics. Also of vital significance is how the country will continue to balance between China and the USA, even though both are heading ever closer to conflict. The country might like to stay on the fence forever, but that may not be possible. When to get off, and on which side, is for the incoming government to decide.
