Elections in fragile countries are often marred by rigging charges that lead to violence. Pakistan, too, has a history of electoral controversies and biased caretaker cabinets appointed by partisan Presidents. Since 2010, Pakistan has developed detailed guidelines related to the appointment and mandate of neutral caretaker cabinets for holding elections to reduce electoral controversies. Building on a paper written in 2014 by Democracy Reporting International on the Pakistan caretaker government system, this paper reviews Pakistani experiences with caretaker regimes since then and identifies lessons for improving their effectiveness in the future.
