Paper short abstract:

This paper will examine the Pakistan elections of 2013 from the perspective of democratization theory and how Pakistan is an instructive case-study for this process.

Paper long abstract:

In democratization theory there is debate on how many elections are necessary to embed democracy in hybrid regimes particularly those that are fragile states. It is often said that these regimes need at least three elections before democracy is fully entrenched. In Pakistan's case its recent history, the 1990s, provides counter-factual evidence that elections per se do not necessarily lead to the consolidation of the democratic process. The paper will investigate how the elections of 2013 are different from previous ones and whether it will lead to the deepening of the democratic process. It will examine the factors that impede democratization; the specific nature of the patrimonial state and those factors that facilitate democracy; institutional developments, the role of the media, civil society and the international context. The paper will then reflect on the elections of 2013 and how the factors for and against democracy were arranged in the elections and how they influenced the results. Finally the paper will assess the democratization process, its future development and what issues are important for its further embedment in Pakistan.