1985 Pakistani general election


General elections were held in Pakistan on 28 February 1985. Around 1,300 candidates contested the election, which were held on a non-party basis. Voter turnout was 52.93%. Each candidate was required to have their nomination paper signed by 50 registered voters from the constituency they wished to stand in.
In an attempt to disqualify a large number of opposition candidates, and secure a conservative leadership, President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq introduced amendments to the Political Parties Act of 1962. As a result, the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy, which was calling for the end of the military regime and opposition parties boycotted the elections.

Results

Aftermath

Following the elections, Muhammad Khan Junejo was appointed Prime Minister and later formed a new party, the Pakistan Muslim League. The election boycott was viewed to have been a misstep for the MRD, which had assumed the public would support its stance.