It is easier to unite under a coalition when a common enemy and a common goal of power can be seen over the horizon. A different set of parties, with wildly different ideologies, have spent barely a few months in government when the cracks in their coalition have started to appear. The upcoming by-elections for several constituencies make the problem worse as the majority party in the coalition government must make the difficult decision of allocating tickets either to reward members of other parties for joining the coalition, dissident members of the PTI, or their own long-suffering loyalists. The majority party, the PML-N, will have to proceed with caution and display leadership in keeping the coalition together. The strength of the coalition will play a part in their performance in the July 17 by-elections.
