The term of half of the 100 members of the Senate expired on 11 March 2012. To fill in the seats being vacated by 50 senators who completed their 6-year tenure and four seats reserved for non-Muslims under the 18th Constitutional Amendment, an election for the Senate was held on 2 March 2012. Nine candidates returned unopposed. Returned candidates on 2 March 2012

Province/area

General seats

Seats reserved for women

Seats reserved for technocrats/ulema

Seats reserved for non-Muslims
Federal Capital

1

-

1

-
Punjab

-

2

2

1
Sindh

-

-

2

-
The polling for the remaining 45 seats was held in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta. Most of the seats were won by political parties as expected. However, in Punjab PPP lost one seat to an independent candidate. This candidate belonged to PML-N but the party did not award him a ticket so his nomination paper was rejected by the Returning Officer on this ground. His appeal was allowed by the ECP and he contested the elections as an independent candidate. Seats obtained by the political parties and independents in the March 2012 election

Party

Federal Capital

FATA

Punjab

Sindh

KP

Balochistan

Total
PPP

1

-

3

7

4

4

19
PML-N

-

-

7

-

1

-

8
ANP

-

-

-

-

6

1

7
PML-Q

1

-

1

-

-

2

4
MQM

-

-

-

4

-

-

4
JUI-F

-

-

-

-

1

3

4
BNP-Awami

-

-

-

-

-

2

2
PML-F

-

-

-

1

-

-

1
Independents

-

4

1

-

-

-

5
  After the 2012 Senate election, PPP emerged as the largest party in the Senate having 41 senators (22 existing and 19 newly elected). The ruling party, along with its coalition partners, now has a two-thirds majority in the Senate. Most of the independents traditionally go with the ruling party. Final party position in 2012 Senate

Party

Existing senators

New senators

Total senators
PPP

22

19

41
PML-N

6

8

14
ANP

5

7

12
MQM

3

4

7
JUI-F

3

4

7
PML-Q

1

4

5
BNP-A

2

2

4
NP

1

0

1
PML-F

0

1

1
Independents

7

5

12
Total

50

54

104
Senate in 2009 and in 2012
A major shift in strength of some of the political parties ensued as a result of the 2012 Senate election compared to the previous elections in 2009. Comparative party position in Senate 2012 versus 2009

Party

Seats in 2009 senate

Seats in 2012 senate

Difference
PPP

27

41

+14
PML-N

7

14

+7
PML-Q

21

5

-16
MQM

6

7

+1
ANP

6

12

+6
JUI-F

4

7

+3
BNP-Awami

2

4

+2
MMA (JUI-F and JI)

9

-

-9
PML-F

1

1

-
JWP

1

-

-1
PKMAP

1

-

-1
PPP-Sherpao

1

-

-1
National Party

1

1

-
Independents

13

12

-1
Website of the Senate: www.senate.gov.pk