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.[2] There were 80,000 members of the electoral college, also divided equally between the two wings.[3]
Campaign
A total of 610 candidates contested the 156 seats.[4] Campaigning took place in male-dominated teashops and candidates' homes, often involving meals to attract voters.[5]
Aftermath
After the election of the 150 members, the six seats reserved for women were elected on 29 May.[1] The newly elected National Assembly convened for its first meeting on 8 June.[6] Martial law was ended,[2] and political parties were allowed to reform after the passing of the Political Parties Bill on 17 July.[6]