ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will not hold an early general election, a cabinet minister said Thursday, insisting the current government would see out its term, which ends in March.
A long-running legal wrangle with the Supreme Court over corruption allegations against President Asif Ali Zardari has already led to one prime minister being thrown out of office and there has been speculation the festering row could force early polls.
But information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said the coalition government led by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) would complete its term.
"The government will complete its tenure on March 18, 2013 after which a caretaker government will be formed," Kaira told reporters in Islamabad.
"Elections will be held accordingly on due time and we want them to be transparent."
If it lasts until March, the government will become the first elected administration in decades to complete a full five-year term.
Under Pakistan's constitution, when the mandate ends a caretaker administration has to be appointed to hold a general election within 90 days. (AFP)
