Islamic parties surge
The week's news at a glance.
Islamabad
Hard-line Islamic parties running on an anti-American platform gained ground in Pakistan’s first elections since Gen. Pervez Musharraf seized power in a 1999 coup. A moderate party supported by Musharraf, the Pakistan Muslim League, came in first with 77 seats, and the reformist Pakistan People’s Party, headed by exiled former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, was second with 62 seats. The most harmonious outcome would be for those two parties to form a government together, but that’s unlikely since Musharraf and Bhutto hate each other. Instead, a group of Islamic parties called Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, which came in third with 50 seats, may be asked to join a coalition government. That prospect worries neighboring Afghanistan. An Afghan government spokesman said the MMA “had provided financial support and fighters to the Taliban in the past.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'The future of abortion access in many states may come down to who has the final say'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US makes first Gaza aid delivery from floating pier
Speed Read Israeli restrictions on border crossings have prevented food and supplies from reaching Gaza citizens
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published