It is unfortunate that while Pakistan was better prepared than at any other time in its history to hold a free, fair and professionally managed 11th General Election, many political parties and individuals have questioned the fairness and management of General Election 2018 that was held on July 25, 2018.
The hope and expectation of a free, fair and professionally conducted General Election was not just due to the excellent administrative preparation by the Election Commission of Pakistan but also due to the major constitutional and legal reforms that been instituted in Pakistan since after the 2008 and 2013 General Elections.
As an independent, non-partisan political think tank, PILDAT has continued to systematically analyse the electoral process leading up to General Elections in 2002, 2008, 2013 and 2018. In addition, for each one of these General Elections, PILDAT has also carried out independent, scientific and dispassionate assessments of the quality of these General Elections post their conduct.
The Assessment of the Quality of General Election 2018 carries the results of the post-election assessment carried out by PILDAT and eminent citizens who are members of PILDAT Dialogue Groups. The assessment scores on quality of General Election 2018 are also compared with earlier assessment scores given to the conduct and quality of previous General Elections of 2013, 2008 and 2002.
This assessment is published as part of PILDAT series of analyses and commentaries on fairness and quality of General Elections in Pakistan.
