Pakistan's "Armored" Democracy

In: Journal of democracy, Band 14, Heft 4, S. 26-40

Abstract

Has General Musharraf restored "real" democracy or is civilian
rule merely a cover for institutionalizing the military's political
dominance? What explains the stunning electoral performance of the
religious parties in the country's western provinces of the North West
Frontier and Baluchistan? Will their newly found political power affect
the state and civil society in Pakistan? If so, how? This essay examines
the stateof democracy in Pakistan in the wake of the deeply flawed general
elections held in October 2002. The nature of the political party system
is discussed, and the prospects for democratization anditsconsolidation,
as well as structural reforms, are explored in light of the military's
continuing hegemony over the state.