Nawaz Candidacy Illegal: Pakistan Election Commission

The Pakistan election commission has ruled that Nawaz Sharif’s filing for PM is not legal due to his prior convictions. Captain Ed has some good analysis at Captain’s Quarters.

Pakistan’s Election Commission on Monday barred former prime minister and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif from a January 8 general election because of his criminal record.

“His nomination papers are rejected because of his convictions,” presiding election official Raja Qamaruzaman told Reuters in the eastern city of Lahore, Sharif’s power base where last week he registered to run in the election.

The two-time prime minister says the convictions secured against him in the wake of his 1999 ouster by the then army chief, Pervez Musharraf, were politically motivated.