Voting began on August 10 in four constituencies of Bagh and Haveli in Pakistan-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the third phase of the 2026 AJK assembly elections; polling was postponed in seven of the eleven Poonch division seats after boycott calls and violence disrupted preparations, leaving 82 candidates contesting in an election that could determine which party, PML-N or PPP, forms the next AJK government

Five structural forces, from concession refusals and snap elections to far-right mainstreaming, that increasingly determine whether a democratic transfer of power actually completes.

Aguila Saleh, Mohamed al-Menfi, and Mohammed Takala agreed on June 18 on a Document of Principles for simultaneous presidential and parliamentary polls, the first time all three institutions have jointly signed an electoral plan

Civil Contract takes ~50% on June 7, enough to govern but not the two-thirds for the constitutional referendum Baku and Ankara demand before signing

An 87-40 constitutional vote reworks candidate selection and lets TEPJF magistrates seek re-election, extending the bench overhaul

Parliament extends its own term to 2028 amid the Hezbollah–Israel escalation; Christian parties object to the open-ended delay