Pakistanis Brave Taliban Violence in a Landmark Vote

Pakistan has had ten elections since 1970 but this is the first election (Today: Saturday, May 11) in which a civilian government is peacefully transferring power after a five-year term. There is little evidence that the military (which has controlled Pakistan for much of its history) is tampering with election results, which is a positive sign. There has been an unexpectedly high voter turnout due to political excitement over the candidates, one of which is a former cricket star promising to tamp down on corruption, negotiate with the Taliban, and set straight American actions towards Pakistan. Despite all of the positive aspects of this election, the Taliban is threatening and carrying out violence. There is great worry that the Taliban has moved beyond its original guerilla roots and has "become a powerful political insurgency bent on upending Western style democracy in Pakistan." The leader of the Taliban warned on Friday that teams of suicide bombers would hit targets all across the country. As of this article's publishing, 20 people were confirmed dead in attacks. Taliban attacks have killed at least 110 people in the last month. 

A positive quote from the article: 

"The election evoked a rare sense of enthusiasm for politics in Pakistan. About 4,670 candidates fought for 272 directly elected seats in Parliament, while almost 11,000 people battled for the four provincial assemblies. Aside from more traditional politicians, they included astrologers, openly transgender candidates, former models and the first female candidates in the tribal belt along the Afghan border."

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/12/world/asia/pakistan-election.html?ref=world&_r=0 Jill Laumbacher