[1] The National Assembly of Pakistan is a democratically elected body currently made up of 342 members, known as Members of the National Assembly (MNAs), of which 272 are elected directly, however the political parties are allotted 70 reserved seats for women and religious minorities in accordance with their share of the total vote.

[3] After President Farooq Leghari ousted the previous PPP government over issues of national security, elections were held.

The Pakistan Muslim League(N), which at the time garnered the most votes ever obtained by an opposition party, won by a landslide 2/3 as a result.

After that, Nawaz Sharif was elected to a second non-consecutive term as prime minister.

In the meantime, Benazir Bhutto's declining popularity caused the Pakistan People Party to be completely defeated, losing 71 seats and winning only 18.