Article by Maya Tudor and Adeel Malik in the Journal of Democracy. Pakistan’s 2024 elections delivered a shocking surprise: Imran Khan’s PTI won the largest number of seats amid heavy state repression. With this result, well-worn political patterns, whereby military favour virtually guaranteed a party’s electoral success, were upended. The authors argue that the election signals a coming crisis of governability that grows out of three structural changes: the rise of an aspirational middle class, the erosion of traditional authority patterns, and an intensifying economic and climate crisis. Consequently, a historic loss of military legitimacy is unlikely to abate in years ahead.
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