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Pakistan Delays Elections Until Mid-February

Election officials in Pakistan announced on Wednesday the postponement of parliamentary elections until Feb. 18 following the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, which triggered days of rioting.

The elections had been scheduled for Jan. 8, but Qazi Mohammed Farooq, head of the Election Commission, said it would be impossible to hold elections that day.

Election officials reported that rioters in Bhutto's home province of Sindh burned down 10 election offices, destroying the voter rolls and ballot boxes inside. The violence also halted the printing and distribution of ballots.

Because of the situation following Bhutto's death, "for a few days the election process came to a complete halt," Farooq said.

The opposition had demanded the polls take place on time; some leaders had called for street protests if they were delayed.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Renee Montagne, one of the best-known names in public radio, is a special correspondent and host for NPR News.
Philip Reeves is an award-winning international correspondent covering South America. Previously, he served as NPR's correspondent covering Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India.

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The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

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Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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