2009 Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly election
12 November 2009
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All 33 seats in the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly 17 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 60.70% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Map of Gilgit-Baltistan showing Assembly Constituencies and winning parties | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Elections were held on 12 November 2009 in Gilgit-Baltistan to elect the first Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly.[1]
Background
The region of Gilgit-Baltistan was formerly known as Northern Areas. The Northern Areas were formed by joining Gilgit Agency and Baltistan regions in 1970 but the Northern Areas were ruled directly from Islamabad. In 2009 the Government of Pakistan passed an Autonomy Order known as Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-governance Order, 2009 which was signed by the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari in September 2009.[2]
Parties and Candidates
264 candidates out of which 99 from 10 different political parties and 165 independent candidates contested for 24 seats across Gilgit-Baltistan.[3]
| Party | Seats Contested | |
|---|---|---|
| PPP | 23 | |
| MQM-L | 20 | |
| PML-N | 15 | |
| PML-Q | 14 | |
| GBDA | 10 | |
| JUI-F | 6 | |
| BNF | 4 | |
| ANP | 3 | |
| JI | 2 | |
| PTI | 2 | |
| IND | 165 | |
Campaign and Polling
Voting took place on 12 November 2009 on Morning 9 AM to 4 PM without any break. 1022 polling stations were set up across Gilgit-Baltistan out of which 200 polling stations were considered sensitive. 5000 law enforcement personnel was hired for security.[4][5]
Result
The two tables below show the results of the elections. The first table shows the results for the elections across all 24 constituencies, and shows each political party's standing after independents joining different parties and the allotment of reserved seats. The second table shows the winner of each of the 24 constituencies, 6 reserved seats for women, and 3 reserved seats for technocrats.[6][7]
| Party | Seats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | Women | Technocrats | Independents joined | Total | ||
| PPP | 12 | 4 | 2 | 3[8][9][10] | 21 | |
| JUI(F) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| PML(Q) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| PML(N) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| MQM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| ITP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[11] | 1 | |
| IND | 4 | 0 | 0 | -4[8][9][10][11] | 0 | |
| Total seats | 23[a] | 6 | 3 | 0 | 32 | |
By constituency
| Constituency | Winner | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Name | Candidate | Party | |
| Gilgit | GBA-1 | Raziuddin Rizvi | IND[b] | [6] |
| GBA-2 | Deedar Ali | IND[c] | [6] | |
| GBA-3 | Aftab Haider | PPP | [12] | |
| GBA-4 | Muhammad Ali Akhtar | PPP | [6] | |
| GBA-5 | Mirza Hussain | PML(Q) | [6] | |
| GBA-6 | Wazir Baig | PPP | [6] | |
| Skardu | GBA-7 | Syed Mehdi Shah | PPP | [6] |
| GBA-8 | Sheikh Nisar Hussain Sarbaz | PPP | [6] | |
| GBA-9 | Wazir Shakeel Ahmed | PPP | [6] | |
| GBA-10 | Wazir Hassan | PPP | [6] | |
| GBA-11 | Syed Mohammad Ali Shah | PPP | [6] | |
| GBA-12 | Raja Azam Khan Amacha | MQM | [6] | |
| Astore | GBA-13 | Abdul Hameed Khan | IND[d] | [6] |
| GBA-14 | Mohammad Naseer | PPP | [6] | |
| Diamer | GBA-15 | Bashir Ahmed | PML(Q) | [13] |
| GBA-16 | Janbaz Khan | PML(N) | [13] | |
| GBA-17 | Rehmat Khaliq | JUI(F) | [14] | |
| GBA-18 | Gulbar Khan | JUI(F) | [13] | |
| Ghizer | GBA-19 | Elections postponed due to death of MQM candidate | [6] | |
| GBA-20 | Ali Madad Sher | PPP | [6] | |
| GBA-21 | Muhammad Ayub Shah | IND[e] | [13] | |
| Ghanche | GBA-22 | Mohammad Jaffer | PPP | [6] |
| GBA-23 | Maulana Mohammad Abdullah | PML(N) | [6] | |
| GBA-24 | Mohammad Ismail | PPP | [6] | |
| Reserved seats for women |
Sadia Danish | PPP | [7] | |
| Gul Meera | PPP | [7] | ||
| Shireen Fatima | PPP | [7] | ||
| Yasmin Nazar | PPP | [7] | ||
| Mehnaz Wali | JUI(F) | [7] | ||
| Amina Ansari | PML(Q) | [7] | ||
| Reserved seats for technocrats |
Mutabiat Shah | PPP | [7] | |
| Jameel Ahmed | PPP | [7] | ||
| Maulana Sarwar Shah | JUI(F) | [7] | ||
Aftermath
The assembly members took oath on 10 December 2009 and Syed Mehdi Shah of PPP became the 1st Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan unopposed. Moreover, Wazir Baig and Jameel Ahmed, both of PPP, were elected as Speaker and Deputy Speaker, respectively.[15]
Notes
- ^ The Assembly contains 24 general seats, but elections were postponed on GBA-19 Ghizer-I.[6]
- ^ Raziuddin Rizvi was elected as an independent, but later joined PPP.[8]
- ^ Deedar Ali was elected as an independent, but later joined Islami Tehreek Pakistan (ITP).[11]
- ^ Abdul Hameed Khan was elected as an independent, but later joined PPP. [9]
- ^ Muhammad Ayub Shah was elected as an independent, but later joined PPP.[10]
References
- ^ "Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly Elections FAFEN Recommendations for Rule-Based Voting". Free and Fair Election Network. 2009-11-12. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
- ^ "Autonomy order for Gilgit, Baltistan signed". DAWN.COM. 2009-09-08. Retrieved 2018-10-19.
- ^ "Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly Elections FAFEN Recommendations for Rule-Based Voting". Free and Fair Election Network. 2009-11-12. Retrieved 2018-10-19.
- ^ "[News] Polling is in Progress in Gilgit-Baltistan". Gilgit-Baltistan Times. 2009-11-12. Retrieved 2018-10-19.
- ^ "Gilgit-Baltistan Goes to Vote | ALL THINGS PAKISTAN". ALL THINGS PAKISTAN. 2009-11-12. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "PPP gets mandate to rule Gilgit-Baltistan". Dawn. 2009-11-14. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "EC notifies technocrats and women legislators of GBLA". PAMIR TIMES. 2009-12-08. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ^ a b c "G-B Assembly: Legislators demand arrest of escaped prisoners - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 2013-03-13. Archived from the original on 2016-03-16. Retrieved 2026-06-19.
- ^ a b c "PPP hints at coalition govt in Gilgit-Baltistan". Dawn. 2009-11-15. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ^ a b c ""Yasin in a Battle of Racial Politics"". PAMIR TIMES. 2013-04-21. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
- ^ a b c "Gilgit-Baltistan in a constitutional quagmire". PAMIR TIMES. 2015-02-21. Retrieved 2026-06-19.
- ^ "[PT Election Cell] Re-polling held in LA - 3, despite boycott by contenders". PAMIR TIMES. 2009-11-18. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ^ a b c d "EC notifies official results of GB polls". Brecorder. 2009-11-16. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ^ "CEC induction: GBLA passes first law". Dawn. 2010-03-20. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ^ "Syed Mehdi Shah elected Gilgit-Baltistan CM". The Nation. 2009-12-11. Retrieved 2026-06-21.