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General elections were held in Pakistan on 28 March 1962. The National Assembly was elected indirectly by the basic democracy electoral college system. Political parties were banned and the elections were held on a non-partisan basis.
Background
The National Assembly had been suspended in 1958 after President Iskandar Ali Mirza introduced martial law. A new constitution was adopted in 1962, which provided for an indirectly elected 156-seat National Assembly, of which 150 seats were elected from single-member constituencies by electoral colleges under the "basic democracy" system, and six seats reserved for women, who were elected by the 150 elected members. The seats were divided equally between East and West Pakistan. There were 80,000 members of the electoral college, also divided equally between the two wings.
Campaign
A total of 610 candidates contested the 156 seats. Campaigning took place in male-dominated teashops and candidates' homes, often involving meals to attract voters.
Aftermath
After the election of the 150 members, the six seats reserved for women were elected on 29 May. The newly elected National Assembly convened for its first meeting on 8 June. Martial law was ended, and political parties were allowed to reform after the passing of the Political Parties Bill on 17 July.
See also
References
- ^ "Parliamentary history". National Assembly of Pakistan.
- ^ The Commonwealth Relations Office Year Book, Volume 13. 1964. pp. 289–291.
- ^ Syedur Rahman (2010). Historical Dictionary of Bangladesh. Scarecrow Press. p. liv. ISBN 978-0-8108-7453-4.
- M. Rashiduzzaman (1969–1970). "The National Assembly of Pakistan Under the 1962 Constitution" (PDF). Pacific Affairs. 42 (4): 481–493. doi:10.2307/2754129. JSTOR 2754129.
- "Pakistan: The Basic Democrats". Time. 11 May 1962.
- ^ Tahir Kamran. "Electoral Politics in Pakistan (1955-1969)" (PDF). p. 91.
 Elections and referendums in Pakistan | |
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| General elections | |
| Provincial elections | |
| Referendums | |
| By-elections | |
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