Mr. Nawaz Sharif has been elected to a third term as prime minister of Pakistan. But his party's victory in Saturday's parliamentary elections is a victory for democracy in Pakistan, not just the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), which he heads. This election marks the first peaceful transition among civilian governments in Pakistan's history.
Now Mr. Sharif faces the formidable tasks of constructing a government, and then restoring safety and security to his country and getting its economy back on track.
Mr. Sharif, known as "The Lion," is a wealthy businessman who twice before served as prime minister. His first term, in the early '90s, collapsed under allegations of corruption. His second term ended in a military coup by Gen. Pervez Musharraf, then head of the armed forces, when Mr. Sharif tried to dismiss the general from his post. Mr. Sharif was then arrested and exiled. Before that ugly turn, he had overseen Pakistan's entry into the nuclear club, matching India's decision to explode a nuclear device in 1998.