2013 Pakistani general election, Campaign, Pakistan Peoples Party
Soon after the PM's last address on 16 March 2013, TV carried live broadcasts from the streets of Lahore and Karachi, where the public mood was one of anger over corruption, the bad economy, and faulty public services. The reaction of political analysts was mixed, with many holding massive corruption and nepotism as the reasons for the government's perceived failures. Even in his televised address, while trumpeting the occasion, PM Raja P Ashraf quietly conceded that his government had also been a source of disappointment for many.


2013 Pakistani general election, Campaign, Pakistan Peoples Party
Public resentment had been fed by an endless list of problems: enduring power shortages [up to 18 hours a day at the peak of summer]; the failure to curb terrorist attacks, protect religious minorities and formulate a coherent anti-terrorism strategy; slow and weak response to the floods; sluggish economic growth, a bloated public sector, cresting inflation; and tales of legendary corruption, carving out private fortunes from a treasury to which they scandalously paid little in tax. Many Pakistanis, particularly among the urban middle classes, were looking to the next elections with relief.


2013 Pakistani general election, Campaign, Pakistan Peoples Party
In Karachi and other parts of the country, the PPP also maintained a New Left alliance with the ANP, MQM, and Communist Party against the conservative parties in Sindh.


2013 Pakistani general election, Campaign, Pakistan Muslim League Noon
The Pakistan Muslim League, a centre-right conservative party, began its campaign on terminating the energy conservation crises, and also issues involving national security, economic development, higher education, immigration, and taxation reforms. The campaign was led by Nawaz Sharif, who emphasis the success of the privatisation to alleviate youth employment and small businesses, introducing policies for the environmental preservation, building motorways, counterterrorism legislation, economic liberalisation, improvement of the public transportation in all over the country, and then the decision of authorising the nuclear-testing programme in 1998.


2013 Pakistani general election, Campaign, Pakistan Muslim League Noon
Over several days, Sharif delivered speeches and visited in all over the country for the support, promising that: "Just like the nuclear blasts, conducted in our last tenure, made us an atomic power, an economic explosion in our next term will turn the country into a commercial powerhouse." Furthermore, the PML(N) indicated to bring a balance on civil-military relations with the military, through opening a source of political channel to resolve issues.


2013 Pakistani general election, Campaign, Pakistan Muslim League Noon
The PML(N) ran a political programme which was termed as "Ilmi aur Maashi Dhamaka" (lit. Education and Economic boom) at the public circles, and gained a lot of public support from all over the Punjab, and the financial support from the business community in Karachi, which proved to be a crucial factor in PML(N)'s efforts to gain majority in the elections. After delivering a victory speech in May 2013, Nawaz Sharif became Prime Minister for a third term on 5 June 2013 after receiving vote of confidence in the Parliament. He received 244 votes in the 342-seat parliament. The PML(N) was generally supported by PML(F) against the PPP in Sindh and BNP in Balochistan, also against the PPP. Terming it as "EEE programme" for Education, Energy, Economy, the PML(N) popularise its slogan "Stronger Economy–Strong Pakistan", which was released in 2012.


2013 Pakistani general election, Campaign, Pakistan Muslim League Noon
Addressing to the national via news channels representatives, the PML(N) debated that aside from balancing the energy conservation, ending stagflation as well inflation, and resolving the issues relating to counter-terrorism and national security, its quick economic recovery programmes is also aimed to increase the expenditure on education, health, food security, and "non-pension" social security from the annual GDP by 2018, as part of the policy measurement programmes.


2013 Pakistani general election, Campaign, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is a centrist, welfarist, and nationalist political party a mainstream political programme of supporting the "Third Way" and "welfarism".


2013 Pakistani general election, Campaign, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
In the midst of election campaign, the PTI's chairman, Imran Khan, called for an inter-party elections for the leadership of the PTI. Many renowned individuals were defeated in the intra-party elections, such as Arif Alvi who was replaced by Pervez Khattak as secretary-general and Ejaz Chaudhary who defeated Ahsan Rasheed. Imran informed the media that no-one from his party will be eligible to hold the post of the party chairman for more than two terms. Motives behind this inter-party elections were to will ultimately finish off the "dynasty-type, family limited companies politics" from the country, as Imran Khan maintained.


2013 Pakistani general election, Campaign, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
The PTI rigorously campaigned on social awareness, social reforms, telecommunication, and the expansion of the e-government in all over the country. Other main points of PTI's campaign was to end the role of country in the War on Terrorism and to regulate private schools' fees structure with the quality of education they provide. The PTI targeted the left-wing policies of PPP and the corruption that took place in state-owned enterprises after underwent through the nationalisation programme, started in 2008 by the PPP.


2013 Pakistani general election, Campaign, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
During a campaign rally in Lahore, Imran fell 14 ft as he was stepping off an improvised forklift. He was seen to be bleeding and unconscious with a gash on his head. He was then taken to Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital where Imran was treated for two fractures to his spinal column. During the election process, the PTI was also leading a religio-political alliance, consisting of Jamaat-e-Islami and the Shia minority MWM.


2013 Pakistani general election, Campaign, Pervez Musharraf
On 24 March 2013, former President Pervez Musharraf returned from self-imposed exile to lead the liberal APML and to run in the election despite threats from the far-right and extremist Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on his life, similar to the return of Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated shortly after returning.


2013 Pakistani general election, Campaign, Pervez Musharraf
On immediate basis, Musharraf's candidature was rejected from his home town of Karachi on the grounds that he violated the Constitution and that he had sacked senior judges during his presidency. Electoral returning officer Ikramur Rehman upheld the objections by his rivals. The liberal PML(Q) official, Afzal Agha, said "this is a biased decision." He was also rejected from the Kasur– a rural town in Punjab. However, he was later approved in the Chitral, also a rural town in Khyber–Pathtunkwa. On 8 April 2013, the Supreme Court issued a summon to be appear over in the apex court to face charges of treason and barred him from leaving the country.


2013 Pakistani general election, Campaign, Pervez Musharraf
On 16 April, an appeal for his approval from Chitral decided by a court in the provincial capital of Peshawar in which he was barred on the grounds that he violated the constitution by imposing emergency rule in 2007. His lawyer said that he would appeal to the Supreme Court. He was also ordered to be kept under house arrest for two weeks. On 23 April, he appeared at a Rawalpindi court under tight security on charges relating to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. On 25 April, he was formally arrested for the same charge.


2013 Pakistani general election, Campaign, Pervez Musharraf
The Peshawar High Court then banned him for life from taking part in politics activities. Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan said: "The former dictator [Musharraf] had ordered senior judges and their families be put under house arrest and twice abrogated the country's constitution." In reaction to the ban, a party spokeswoman for the All Pakistan Muslim League said that it would boycott the election. He was granted US$20,000 bail on 20 May.


2013 Pakistani general election, Violence, Pre-election violence
The extremist terrorist organisation, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed the responsibility for two bombings at the offices of independent candidates on 28 April. In Kohat, the TTP bombed left-wing ANP's Nasir Khan Afridi's office which killed six and critically wounded others. In the suburbs of Peshawar, a device bomb at killed three people. The next day, at least eight people, including the son of Afghani cleric Qazi Amin Waqad, were killed and 45 others were wounded in a suicide attack in Peshawar. The bomb had targeted Sahibzada Anees, a senior city administrator, who had just passed the area.


2013 Pakistani general election, Violence, Pre-election violence
Hilal was a part of the Afghan High Peace Council and was organising a meeting of Afghan and Pakistani religious scholars to oppose militancy. All political parties condemned the attack. The same day, at a Karachi press conference the leaders of the left-wing parties– the PPP, MQM and ANP—said that the attacks would not stop them from participating in the election. ANP's Secretary-General, Bashir Jan, said that his party had previously made sacrifices in relations to the 2012 assassination of Bashir Bilour, the former party leader.


2013 Pakistani general election, Violence, Pre-election violence
His statement followed an explosion that wounded three children near the election office of Mohammad Ahmed Khan, the ANP candidate from Charsadda in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. On 2 May, a bomb exploded outside the MQM headquarters in which seven people were injured. On 4 May, at least three people were killed and 34 others were wounded when two bombs targeted the election office of the MQM in the Azeezabad area of Karachi.


2013 Pakistani general election, Violence, Pre-election violence
In a rally in Kurram Valley, at least 15 people were dead and over 50 injured at a JUI(F) rally for candidates Munir Orakzai and Ain-u-Dun Shakir. The rally was part of the faction led by Fazal-ur-Rehman. The latter was slightly wounded. Armed skirmishes and tensions also flared near the Afghanistan–Pakistan border. On 9 May, the son of former Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani, Ali Haider Gilani, was abducted following a gunfight at a rally in Multan that killed his personal secretary.


2013 Pakistani general election, Violence, Election day violence
Scattered gun and bomb attacks marred an otherwise celebratory day in a nation mired in economic crisis and locked in a fight with a virulent native Taliban insurgency. By the time polls closed in the evening, at least 20 people had died in attacks, the most serious targeting a pro-US political party in the southern port city of Karachi. The violence, which included blasts outside a political office in Karachi that left 10 dead, capped a bloody election season. More than 130 people have been killed in bombings and shootings over the campaign, prompting some to call this one of the deadliest votes in the country's history.


2013 Pakistani general election, Violence, Election day violence
Several bombs were reportedly defused before voting began on Saturday morning, according to al-Jazeera. No one had so far taken the responsibility for the attacks, except for the initial two blasts in the coastal city of Karachi, claimed by TTP.


2013 Pakistani general election, Opinion polls
Various polls were conducted by different organisations, all of which show inconsistencies and different results.


2013 Pakistani general election, Opinion polls
In March 2013, a survey by Heinrich Böll Foundation showed that 29% of the people surveyed would support the Pakistan Peoples Party. As the highest nummain opposition party, 25% would support the Pakistan Muslim League (N), led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Another 20% supported the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by former cricketer Imran Khan.


2013 Pakistani general election, Opinion polls
According to a survey conducted by Gallup Pakistan and PILDAT the Pakistan Muslim League topped the list on voting intention score in Punjab, followed by the PPP and the PTI respectively. The February 2013 political forecast is based on a nationwide poll of approximately 9,660 voters in 300 villages and urban localities. The voting intention score of PML-N stands at 63% in North and Central Punjab, 69% in Western Punjab and 49% in Southern Punjab, shows the survey.


2013 Pakistani general election, Opinion polls
According to the consolidated findings of two nationwide polls on voting intentions, conducted by IRI and Gallup Pakistan respectively during past three months, the front runner in Pakistan's elections scheduled in mid-2013 is the PML-N. The PTI, according to the survey, is making deep inroads in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa where it has surpassed every other player by a 30% score.


2013 Pakistani general election, Opinion polls
Pakistan Peoples Party to emerge victorious on basis of performance.


2013 Pakistani general election, Opinion polls
Senior political analyst, Najam Sethi said, Nawaz Sharif held public meetings and rallies in every nook and corner of the country while Shahbaz Sharif completed development projects in Punjab which attracted politicians from the other parties. Sethi said that the 3% raise in the popularity graph of the PPP was made possible due to Asif Ali Zardari's efforts who gathered many such politicians as used to oppose him.


2013 Pakistani general election, Opinion polls
He said the popularity of both the parties increased due to the revival of the traditional politics and the same was the cause of decrease in popularity of unorthodox politicians like Imran Khan. However, Imran Khan's next public meetings would help him a lot, Sethi predicted, saying that the PTI leader's graph would go up after public rallies in Lahore and Peshawar and the party would play an important role in formation of the next government.


2013 Pakistani general election, Opinion polls, Support based on generation gap
The survey's findings indicate that the PTI's support is derived from all age groups – 22.9 per cent of those between 18 and 35 years, 18.6 per cent of those between 36 and 50 years, 18.4 per cent of those between 51 and 70 years and 7.7 of those above 70 years support the PTI, dispelling the notion that its vote bank is rooted in the younger generation. The highest proportion of those aged between 36 and 50 years (32.5 per cent) indicate a preference for the PPP.


2013 Pakistani general election, Opinion polls, Support based on generation gap
Similarly, 46.2 per cent of those aged over 70 expressed a preference for the PML(N). Compared with respondents' voting histories, the PML(N)'s vote bank appears to have remained stagnant while the PPP's seems to have declined significantly. It appears that the PTI has a stronger urban base, while a higher proportion of rural respondents indicated that they would vote for either the PPP or the PML(N) in the upcoming elections.


2013 Pakistani general election, Opinion polls, Voting trends by ethnicity
Predictably, the highest level of support for the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party was pledged by Sindhis, 55% of whom said they would vote for the PPP in the upcoming elections. This was followed by Seraiki-speakers at 46%. Around ~44% of Hindko-speakers said they intend to vote for the Pakistan Muslim League, closely followed by Punjabi people at 43%. The same proportion of Hindko-speakers – 44% – also expressed an intention to vote for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, indicating a close contest between the two parties (PMLN and PTI) within that particular demographic.


2013 Pakistani general election, Opinion polls, Voting trends by ethnicity
It is worth noting that while 34% of Pakhtuns stated that they would vote for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, only 11% expressed support for the Awami National Party (ANP). 47% of Balochis said that they would vote for the Balochistan National Party. Similarly 90% Muhajirs of Hyderabad and urban areas of Karachi Largest metropolis in terms of area and population votes for Muttahida Qoumi Movement.


2013 Pakistani general election, Opinion polls, Support based on household income
On average, approximately a third of those earning up to 30,000 rupees each month indicated a preference for the Pakistan Peoples Party whereas, among those earning more than 30,000 rupees, support for the party dropped to 10.8 percent. This is in keeping with the party's traditional pro-poor image. No such trend could be determined for the Pakistan Muslim League, whose level of support remained similar across all income levels.


2013 Pakistani general election, Opinion polls, Support based on household income
Those earning in excess of 250,000 rupees each month (the highest identified income bracket in the survey) expressed the maximum intention to vote for either the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) or the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, at 33 per cent each. While this figure may appear anomalistic in the MQM's case – support for the party within the second highest income bracket (those earning between 100,000 and 250,000 rupees each month) was only four per cent – it was possible to identify a rough direct trend between level of income and support for the PTI. In general, it appeared that support for smaller parties declined with increasing levels of income.


2013 Pakistani general election, International monitor recommendations
The National Democratic Institution have stated the elections will be a "historical transition." An NDI assessment mission—consisting of Canada's former prime minister Joe Clark, former Indonesian House of Representatives member Nursanita Nasution, Chatham House senior fellow Xenia Dormandy and NDI Asia programmes director Peter Manikas—released its findings at a press briefing in Islamabad after its observation of Pakistan's political framework.


2013 Pakistani general election, International monitor recommendations
The mission visited Pakistan from 16 to 21 December and met with election authorities, government officials, party leaders, media and citizen monitoring groups. Joe Clark commended the co-operation of all parties, especially in adopting measures to bring the Federally Administered Tribal Areas under the political umbrella. Clark stated that the 18th Amendment to the constitution reflects the parliament's integrity and commitment towards a fair democratic handover.


2013 Pakistani general election, International monitor recommendations
Nursanita Nasution highlighted the need to address the rights of women in the polling process so that "fear and intimidation in high-risk areas such as Baluchistan, FATA, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Karachi" would not strip women of the opportunity to vote. Xenia Dormandy suggested "improving accessibility and adjusting locations" of women polling stations closer to those for men so that they could travel with the men in their families to vote. Sandra Houston, Regional Director of NDI, stated "We are impressed with the cooperation of all the stakeholders in assuring a smooth transition," sharing that voters have been registered with Computerised National Identity Cards and biometrics including photographs where possible.


2013 Pakistani general election, International monitor recommendations, European Union
The European Union offered to send its observers to Pakistan's elections, in a bid to ensure a "peaceful, credible" vote that will be "acceptable" to all. "The EU looks forward to upcoming elections that are peaceful, credible, transparent, inclusive and acceptable to the Pakistani people," EU foreign ministers said released after talks. The 27-nation bloc "is ready to assist by deploying an election observation mission, as a tangible sign of our support for the democratic process," the statement added.


2013 Pakistani general election, International monitor recommendations, European Union
The ministers also said they looked forward to re-energizing ties with the next government and hoped quick contacts could lead to a third EU-Pakistan summit. Pakistan responded by saying it will welcome a European Union election observation mission during the forthcoming general elections. "Yes, we will welcome the observation mission", foreign secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani said.


2013 Pakistani general election, International monitor recommendations, European Union
A 110-member team from the European Union will observe Pakistan's elections. The European Union High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission, Ms. Catherine Ashton, has decided to authorise a European Union Election Observation Mission (EOM) to observe the elections. A member of the European Parliament will lead the 2013 EU EOM as its Chief Observer. The EU EOM team will include observers, experts, election analysts, political analysts, legal analysts, human rights analysts, media analysts and others. On the basis of special agreements with the EU, observers from Norway, Switzerland and Canada are also part of the EOM. Some members will be deployed well in advance of election day, while others will be deployed at least ten days prior to the election day.


2013 Pakistani general election, International monitor recommendations, European Union
The observers will assess aspects of the election process, nomination of candidates, election campaign, counting, tabulation, announcement of official results and complaints' procedures, and will cover pre-election preparations, election-day itself and the post-electoral period. The observers will follow the political campaign and hold regular meetings with representatives of election management bodies, political parties, candidates and civil society groups.


2013 Pakistani general election, International monitor recommendations, United States
The US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard Olsen stated that the United States applauds democratic tendencies in Pakistan, expressing hopes that free and fair general elections would lead to peaceful transfer of authority from one civilian government to successor dispensation. Completion of the current term by a democratically elected government will be a milestone in Pakistan's history.


2013 Pakistani general election, International monitor recommendations, United States
A US delegation consisting of Senator Carl Levin, US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard Olsen and Armed Services Committee Senator Jack Reed visited Pakistan on 8 January for talks with Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. The delegation stated that not only the US, but the world would observe the general election with great interest.


2013 Pakistani general election, International monitor recommendations, United States
The Centre for American Progress published a report called "Previewing Pakistan's 2013 Elections" whose author, Colin Cookman, writes that the United States should work with, and not attempt to control Pakistan's internal political processes. The report also warns that whoever wins the elections should try to resolve the problems the country faces or be prepared to face accountability. Cookman states that "only Pakistanis themselves are capable of establishing a more stable, democratic system capable of balancing diverse interest groups and effectively addressing the country's challenges."


2013 Pakistani general election, International monitor recommendations, United States
It encourages the US to make efforts to support Pakistan's democratic evolution and the success of its upcoming elections. Such efforts should include a public commitment to neutrality and respect for the electoral processes, coupled with support for an international observation mission. It also urges US diplomatic and military officials to continue to engage with a broad array of Pakistani civilian leaders and military officials, while making it clear that the United States "does not favour any specific electoral outcome and strongly opposes any disruption of the constitutional process or intervention during the caretaker period."


2013 Pakistani general election, International monitor recommendations, United States
US officials have denied the general perception in Pakistan that the US government wants to influence the electoral process in Pakistan to bring in a friendly government. US Secretary of State John Kerry skipped a planned visit to Pakistan to avoid accusations of meddling in the 11 May elections. Spokesperson Victoria Nuland stated that the message the United States wants to send out during the election season is "we have no favourites among Pakistani politicians and we are looking forward to work with whoever is elected on May 11." Secretary Kerry's decision to skip Pakistan during his South Asia visit is an indication of Washington's eagerness to maintain neutrality during the elections.


2013 Pakistani general election, Results
Statistics and database collected and published by the Election Commission (EC), approximately ~86.9 million Pakistanis were registered to vote. Overall, the Voter turnout was 55.02%, the highest since 1970 and 1977.


2013 Pakistani general election, Results
The Election Commission results were broadcast by news channels announcing that the PML(N) had emerged as the largest party, winning four times as many seats as its nearest competitor, the PPP. Though, it fell short for a supermajority in the Parliament. The PML-N ranks were boosted into an overall majority by 19 independent winning candidates who switched allegiance to the PML-N. The PPP emerged as the second largest party, with 45 seats, and the PTI, with 33 seats, emerged as third largest party.


2013 Pakistani general election, Reactions, Domestic
On the night of the elections, the youth supporter, partisans, and lobbyists gathered in Raiwand– a private residential place of president of the PML, Nawaz Sharif. Speaking to his supporters and media representatives, Nawaz Sharif who was standing with his daughter, Maryam Nawaz and wife Kulsoom Nawaz, said:


2013 Pakistani general election, Reactions, Domestic
Through this vote and campaign, I have felt how much love Pakistan has for me. And I have twice as much love for you. Thank God that he has given us the chance to help you, to help Pakistan, to help the young people. We will fulfill all the promises that we have made. Pray that we can make a government on our own, without compromises or have to lean on anyone else. Because if we have to ask for seats, we cannot make a strong government.


2013 Pakistani general election, Reactions, Domestic
We forgive anyone who has abused us along the way and we have not cursed anyone. We want to get Pakistan out of trouble. We have a program to change the State of Pakistan. We must make a decision to change this country. To all other parties, I say come and sit at the table.


2013 Pakistani general election, Reactions, Domestic
The Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim expressed gratitude to the voters for the record high turnout of 60%. Secretary of the Election Commission Ishtiaq Ahmed Khan said that the elections were free, fair and transparent and the claims of irregularities will be answered on a case-by-case basis.


2013 Pakistani general election, Reactions, Domestic
Even before the result was announced, the PTI conceded defeat. PTI leader Imran Khan congratulated Nawaz Sharif but also demanded recounting in numerous constituencies.


2013 Pakistani general election, Reactions, Domestic
MQM leader Altaf Hussain spoke to PML (N). He also called then the 'Punjabis representative party.' He went on to say that the "Muslim League (N) has emerged victorious in the elections and Nawaz Sharif is a representative leader of the Punjabis." His statements were condemned by some in the Pakistani media and from supporters of the PML (N).


2013 Pakistani general election, Reactions, Domestic
Military analyst and security expert Talat Masood said: "This is an ideal and a graceful victory for Sharif. He will form a strong government at the center, which is badly needed to tackle some enormous economic and security challenges."


2013 Pakistani general election, Reactions, Domestic
President Asif Ali Zardari blamed the poor performance of PPP on a domestic and international conspiracy, as well as domestic terrorism by the Taliban preventing the party from campaigning.


2013 Pakistani general election, Reactions, Economic
The country's stocks rose to record and the economic indicators performed well in advance of the unofficially determined results in an expectation of PML(N)'s win.


2013 Pakistani general election, Reactions, Economic
Upon news of the results, the KSE 100 at the Karachi Stock Exchange crossed the 20,000 mark for the first time on 13 May 2013. The victory by PML(N) in the general election lifted the stock market to an all-time high on 11–13 May, in a sign that investors, which include Goldman Sachs and Mark Mobius of Templeton, were seen as the top foreign investors at the Karachi Stock Exchange on the prospect of further market gains through a stable government.


2013 Pakistani general election, Reactions, Economic
On the day of the elections, the benchmark KSE 100 Index gained 1.8%, the most since 12 March, ~20,272.28 Marks, taking its rally this year to 20.0%. The MCB Ltd. gained ~4.9% to ₨. 261.60 million, poised for the highest close since May 2008. The Pakistan State Oil (PSO) jumped 5.0% to ₨. 221.86 million; the ABL Assets also increased its profit variation to ~$203.0 million.


2013 Pakistani general election, Controversies, Incidents of malpractice and rigging
"I am fully justified on the basis of documentary evidence to set aside the election of the returned candidate, which does not reflect the true will of the people," Malik states in the report. "I therefore discard the available record as well as the election record, which has been misappropriated or stolen. I declare the election of the returned candidates from PP-107, Hafizabad-III as a whole to be void." In PP-107, Hafizabad-III, 21,298 fake and bogus votes were counted as valid votes towards the vote account of the candidates. The number of used counterfoils found in election bags by the commission was 54,242, while the total number of polled votes in a statement by the Returning Officer (RO) was recorded as 72,895.


2013 Pakistani general election, Analysis, Aftermath
On 17 May 2013, the Vice-President of the PTI, Zahra Hussain, was shot and killed in Karachi just before re-election was due to be held. Three days later, it was announced that the PTI had taken the Karachi seat in re-polling. Imran Khan alleged that Altaf Hussain, a leader of MQM, was responsible for inciting violence and was responsible for the murder. Few days later, British Police raided Altaf Hussain's house in London.


2013 Pakistani general election, Analysis, Government formation
The PML(N)'s key strategist, Sartaj Aziz, announced in news media the next day that the independents candidates were in negotiation process with the PML(N) to join the party to form the government and to work out "a few key portfolios."


2013 Pakistani general election, Analysis, Government formation
A total of nineteenth independents who had won from their respected constituencies joined the PML(N), which allowed the party to form a government with a simple majority. This swing ultimately led to Nawaz Sharif elevated as the Prime Minister. Soon after his appointment, Sharif said after being formally approved as Prime Minister that in regards to drone strikes: "We respect the sovereignty of others and they should also respect our sovereignty and independence. This campaign should come to an end." Despite this, two days later another drone strike killed seven people in Pakistan.


2013 Pakistani presidential election
Presidential elections were held on 30 July 2013 in Pakistan to elect the 12th President of Pakistan. Incumbent President Asif Ali Zardari’s term was scheduled to expire on 8 September 2013; and as such, Article 41 of the Constitution of Pakistan required the elections to be held no later than 8 August 2013. The Electoral College of Pakistan – a joint sitting of the Senate, National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies – were tasked with electing a new president to succeed President Zardari, who declined to seek a second term in office.


2013 Pakistani presidential election
After the Pakistan Peoples Party and its allies boycotted the presidential election, the two candidates were Mamnoon Hussain backed by the Pakistan Muslim League (N), and Wajihuddin Ahmed backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Agra-born Hussain was elected president by a majority securing 432 votes. The elections were the first time in Pakistani history where a civilian president was elected while an incumbent civilian President was still in office, completing a historic and democratic transition of power that began with the 2013 General Elections.


2013 Pakistani presidential election, Background
Following the 2013 general elections, it was expected that the new president would be chosen by the party that won a plurality and thus headed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the Pakistan Muslim League (N). It is the first time in the country that a president elect has been chosen in the presence of a sitting president.


2013 Pakistani presidential election, Schedule
The Election Commission of Pakistan announced the initial election schedule on 17 July 2013. All nomination papers for candidates had to be submitted by 24 July, with scrutiny occurring on 26 July. Candidates then had an additional 3 days to withdraw their nomination, after which the official candidate list was announced. The elections were originally to take place via secret ballot on 6 August, and official results confirmed the next day. The elections would be presided by the Chief Justices of the Islamabad High Court and the 4 provincial High Courts.


2013 Pakistani presidential election, Schedule
The Supreme Court of Pakistan on 24 July, revised the date for the presidential election on the appeal of the ruling party, PML (N), asking the election commission to hold it on 30 July instead of 6 August. The court made the order as many of the lawmakers who will elect a replacement for President Asif Ali Zardari will be paying pilgrimages or offering special prayers on 6 August for the holy month of Ramadan, which ends a few days later, thus making it potentially difficult for some lawmakers to oblige with their religious duties along with the election. The petition was filed by the leader of the house in the Senate Raja Zafarul Haq on the same day.


2013 Pakistani presidential election, Schedule
The court ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan to change the election schedule on the appeal of the Federal government: nomination papers were filed on 24 July, their scrutiny was held on 26 July, the withdrawal of candidature up to 12 noon on 27 July and the final list of candidates was published at 5pm on 27 July. The polling was held on 30 July.


2013 Pakistani presidential election, Candidates
The PML (N) nominated former Sindh Governor Mamnoon Hussain as its candidate; while the Pakistan People's Party nominated Senator Raza Rabbani (later boycotting); and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf named Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed.


2013 Pakistani presidential election, Candidates, Mamnoon Hussain
Hussain is an Agra-born business man. He belongs to Sindh and owns a textile business in Karachi. He was born in Uttar Pradesh, India, in 1940. He started his political career in the 60s as a Muslim Leaguer. He is considered loyal to the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.


2013 Pakistani presidential election, Candidates, Mamnoon Hussain
In 1999, he was elected as the president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) and was soon selected by Nawaz Sharif to become governor of Sindh in June 1999, but lost the post after the then Army Chief Gen Pervez Musharraf overthrew the PML-N government in a military coup in October 1999.


2013 Pakistani presidential election, Candidates, Wajiuddin Ahmed
Ahmed is a retired senior justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, human rights activist, Jurist Doctor and former professor of law at the Sindh Muslim Law College.


2013 Pakistani presidential election, Candidates, Wajiuddin Ahmed
Prior to be elevated as Senior Justice of the Supreme Court, he briefly tenured as the Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court from 1998 until refusing take oath in opposition to martial law in 1999. He remained a strong critic of President Pervez Musharraf, eventually taking up a leading role in Lawyer's movement in 2007 to oppose President Musharraf. Ultimately, he unsuccessfully ran for the presidential elections held in 2007. Since 2011, he has been active in national politicsthrough Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and became a forerunner on PTI platform for the presidential election.


2013 Pakistani presidential election, Candidates, Boycotts
On 26 July, the PPP announced its decision to boycott the election. The Awami National Party (ANP) and the Balochistan National Party (BNP) also announced a boycott. They cited as their reason the Supreme Court of Pakistan's decision to change the election date from 6 August without consulting all parties.


2013 Pakistani presidential election, Electoral College Strength
The Electoral College of Pakistan is formed by a joint sitting of the six leading political bodies in Pakistan:


2013 Pakistani presidential election, Electoral College Strength
So that each province has an equal vote, all provincial assemblies are given exactly 65 votes in the electoral college. This mean that the each member of the Punjab Assembly has 65/370 = 0.176 votes, each member of the Sindh Assembly has 65/168 = 0.387 votes, each member of the KPK Assembly has 65/124 = 0.524 votes and each member of the Balochistan Assembly has 65/65 = 1 vote.


2013 Pakistani presidential election, Polls
The country went to the polls at 10:00, 30 July amidst tight security arrangements. Over 1,174 members of the electoral college cast their votes to elect the ceremonial head of the state.


2013 Pakistani presidential election, Results
Polling was held simultaneously in the Parliament and provincial assemblies. The legislative assemblies were pronounced polling stations at the outset of polling. Voting ended at 15:00 and after 5 hours the preliminary result was immediately released. Official confirmation of the winner came in the evening. Mamnoon Hussain will be sworn in as the 12th president of Pakistan on 9 September, a day after the incumbent President Asif Ali Zardari completes his five-year term.


2013 Pakistani presidential election, Results
Mamnoon Hussain was widely expected to be victorious. He got 277 votes from the Parliament, 54.14 from the Punjab Assembly, 24.76 from Sindh Assembly, 21.49 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and 55 from the Balochistan Assembly.


2013 Pakistani presidential election, Results
On the other hand, Justice (retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed got 34 votes from Parliament, 4 from Punjab Assembly, 1.9 from Sindh Assembly, 36.17 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and one vote from Balochistan Assembly.


2013 Pakistani presidential election, Implications
The elections were boycotted by some parties, and some protests were held too. But overall, the elections completed safe and sound. They marked a historic and democratic transition of power. This was the first time in the history of Pakistan a democratically elected civilian president had completed his full five-year term and transitioned power to a new civilian president.


2013 Pakistan–Afghanistan floods
In August 2013, Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan experienced heavy rain that led to flash flooding. More than 180 died as a result of the floods.


2013 Pakistan–Afghanistan floods, Background
Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan are frequently hit by flooding during the monsoon season. Since 2010, the region has suffered devastating floods that have left hundreds dead each year. The worst flooding in the past 80 years occurred in 2010, when flooding in Pakistan resulted in more than 1,700 deaths and widespread damage.


2013 Pakistan–Afghanistan floods, Floods
Beginning 31 July 2013, Pakistan and parts of eastern Afghanistan experienced unusually heavy rainfall that caused widespread flash flooding. Flood waters began to recede on 5 August, but more heavy rain was expected later in August and September, the heart of monsoon season. All but one area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan was flood-free by 5 August, as the waters receded almost as quickly as they had risen.


2013 Pakistan–Afghanistan floods, Damage and casualties, Pakistan
In Pakistan 80 deaths were reported as of 5 August; more than 30 other people were injured. The death toll rose to 83 as of 13 August with more than 94 injured. Casualties spanned the country, with the city of Karachi in south Pakistan being the hardest hit. In the northwest, 12 deaths were reported in the tribal region, eight in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and three in the Kashmir region. Fast moving water washed away many houses in the region. In central Pakistan, 12 deaths were reported in Punjab province.


2013 Pakistan–Afghanistan floods, Damage and casualties, Pakistan
In the south, eight deaths were reported in Sindh and ten in Baluchistan. Across Pakistan, more than 66,000 people were affected by the rain and resulting floods. Many of the deaths were the result of collapsed houses or by electrocution from downed power lines. In Karachi, poor neighbourhoods experienced waist-deep flooding and widespread power outages. Drainage and sewage systems in the city were clogged, causing the streets to fill with water.


2013 Pakistan–Afghanistan floods, Damage and casualties, Afghanistan
Mountainous regions in eastern and southeastern Afghanistan were the main areas hit by floods. In the rural Surobi District 61 people were killed, and around 500 mudbrick homes were washed away across more than a dozen villages. In the provinces of Khost and Nangarhar, flooding destroyed 50 houses and thousands of acres of farm land. 24 deaths were reported in the area. In the province of Nuristan at least 60 homes were destroyed across three districts, but no casualties were reported. On 10 August, at least 22 more people killed in the flash flood near Kabul As of 14 August death toll rises above 90 in the country.


2013 Pakistan–Afghanistan floods, Reaction and relief efforts
Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan's Prime Minister, sent three cabinet ministers to survey affected areas. National Disaster Management Authority chief Muhammad Saeed Aleem blamed global climate change for the floods. In eastern Pakistan, 100 trucks carrying relief supplies were dispatched, and 30 medical camps were established. Officials in Karachi said it would take at least two days to clean up after the floods receded. The army was deployed to Karachi where army engineers worked to pump out the blocked drainage systems.


2013 Pakistan–Afghanistan floods, Reaction and relief efforts
Officials in Afghanistan said they were unable to deliver aid to some hard hit areas due to the access roads being controlled by the Taliban insurgents.


2013 Pakistan–Afghanistan floods, Reaction and relief efforts
On 5 August, United Nations spokesperson Martin Nesirky said UN and its humanitarian partners are ready help Afghanistan and Pakistan if required.


2013 Palacký University Rector election
Rector election was held at Palacký University on 16 October 2013. Historian Jaroslav Miller defeated the incumbent Rector Miroslav Mašláň.


2013 Palanca Awards
The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature winners for 2013. The awarding ceremonies were held on September 1, 2013, at the Peninsula Hotel Manila in Makati.


2013 Palarong Pambansa
The 2013 Palarong Pambansa, also known as the 2013 PALARO, was the 56th edition of the annual multi-sporting event held in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental from April 21 to 27, 2013. Around 10,000 student athletes from 17 regions of the Philippines competed for the tournament, while the announced gold medalists and record breakers of this year received cash prizes for the first time. The motto for this edition was Sports: Road to Peace and Progress,promoting education, health, development and peace.


2013 Palarong Pambansa, Background
In its 56 years, it was the first time for the biggest sporting event for student athletes in the Philippines to be held and hosted by Dumaguete City. In addition, it was also the first time in its history that the private sector offered financial rewards and scholarships to those who performed exceptionally. Furthermore, some college and university sport officials and coaches were scouting for their future athletes during the event.


2013 Palarong Pambansa, Bidding
On October 13, the officials of Department of Education and the Philippine Sports Commission have had a tedious selection and deliberation process of deciding where to host the 2013 event, taking into consideration the presentations made and the reports provided by the technical committee. The next month, the Department of Education officially gave the rights of hosting the 2013 Palarong Pambansa to Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental after winning 11-7 votes for the province and a one-tied vote. There were 19 Palarong Pambansa Board Members who cast their votes.


2013 Palarong Pambansa, Venues
The opening and closing ceremonies of the 56th Palarong Pambansa were held at the Gov. Mariano Perdices Memorial Stadium, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental. Other venues are listed below:


2013 Palarong Pambansa, Broadcasting and media
The 56th edition of Palarong Pambansa became more known as it was partnered with the media for coverage and live updates of the sports events. PTV-4 or People's Television Network signed an agreement with the Department of Education to provide airtime as well as to telecast the daily events of the 2013 Palarong Pambansa highlights and updates. At the same time, the Department of Education teamed up with Rappler as its official social media partner for 2013. This is the second consecutive year for both PTV-4 and Rappler to cover the yearly sporting event after the first in Lingayen, Pangasinan in 2012.


2013 Palarong Pambansa, Broadcasting and media
On the other hand, the event's official website and Facebook pages were managed by the local events Secretariat headed by Mr. Adolf P. Aguilar, the general events coordinator of the Palarong Pambansa. For the media bureau, the student volunteers from Silliman University and Foundation University were the ones to manage. Aside from the Facebook fanpage ("Palarong Pambansa 2013") and the Twitter account (@DepEd_PH), which were updated every second, there was also the live streaming, courtesy of Ustream, to provide more coverage of the games.


2013 Palarong Pambansa, Broadcasting and media
A total of 200 ICT teachers in Negros Oriental were tapped to cover the various sporting events, making it the most photographed and most interactive Palarong Pambansa in history to date.


2013 Palarong Pambansa, Sports
The 2013 Palarong Pambansa featured 17 sports in the 368 events. The 56th edition of the games was historical because of its demonstration sports, which includes Futsal, billiards, and Wushu.


2013 Palarong Pambansa, Billeting locations
The seventeen participating regions of the 2013 Palarong Pambansa were housed in different billeting locations around Dumaguete city. Public and private schools served as the billeting areas for athletes and coaches including medical staff and teachers. Below are the billeting quarters during the game:


2013 Palarong Pambansa, Medal tally
The following list is the final medal tally as of April 27, 2013.


2013 Palarong Pambansa, Criticisms and concerns
Before the 2013 Palarong Pambansa began, an estimate of 170 student athletes was reported to be affected by diarrhea. In fact, the majority of the victims were high school students from Region 8. Headaches and vomiting were observed and some affected athletes and officials were immediately brought to a nearby hospital in Dumaguete city. Apparently, food poisoning and drinking unclean water were the possible causes of the incident. In response, an investigation has been done and results were likely to come out. Food preparation is not the responsibility of the host province but of the visiting regions themselves.


2013 Palarong Pambansa, Criticisms and concerns
Moreover, Athletics became intense when Region 12 (or CRAA/SOCCKSARGEN) made a protest in the "Secondary Boys - 100m" running event. A photo finish was requested to determine the winner of the race more accurately, but there was only one recorded video available for the edition that was not able to capture the finish of the said race. Thus, Christopher Lirazan of Region 6 (or Western Visayas) and Romnick Nor of Region 12/CRAA were in dispute for the gold medal.


2013 Palarong Pambansa, Criticisms and concerns
At the end of the competition, the only region that failed to maintain its perennial top three finish at the medal tally and the DepEd point system was Region 4A (or STCAA - Calabarzon). On the other hand, regional powerhouse NCR (or NCRAA) and Region 6 (or WVRAA) were able to keep their positions as the number one and two teams of 2013 respectively. The host (Region VII - CVRAA) claimed the third spot in the point system, while Region 10 (or NMRAA) was third place in the medal tally.


2013 Palmasola prison riot
On August 23, 2013, a prison riot broke out at Palmasola, a maximum-security prison in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The riot started when members of one cell block attacked a rival gang in another, using propane tanks as flame throwers. Thirty-one people were killed, including an 18-month-old child who was living at the prison. Thirty-seven others were seriously injured. The riot led to calls for reform in the Bolivian prison system, which is plagued by overcrowding and long delays in the trial system.


2013 Palmasola prison riot, Background
Palmasola is Bolivia's largest prison and holds about 3,500 prisoners. Like many prisons in Latin America, guards exert minimal control over what happens within the prison, leading to it being described as a "prison town". Guards instead concentrate only on securing the perimeter of the facility. According to former inmates, almost anything can be obtained in the prison. Businesses operate inside the prison to supply weapons and drugs. Under Bolivian law, children under the age of six may live in a prison with one of their parents. Four out of five prisoners in Palmasola are awaiting trial.


2013 Palmasola prison riot, Background
Prisons in Latin America are among the most dangerous in the world, and the ones in Bolivia are the second most overcrowded at 233% overcapacity (just behind El Salvador, with 299%). The driving factors in overcrowding are pre-trial detentions and judicial backlogs. At least 85% of the inmates in the country have pending trials/convictions. Many are imprisoned for minor drug offenses under Law 1008, a controversial legislation created in 1988 that places heavy penalties on drug offenders. In addition, prisons in Latin America are often run by inmates affiliated with a criminal group.


2013 Palmasola prison riot, Background
The gang leaders, known as "delegates", may charge fees to other inmates in exchange for certain benefits, such as occupying personal cells, enjoying family visits, or having televisions. Prisons in Bolivia may have so-called "life insurance" fees, mandatory extortion payments among inmates that range from $100 to $500. The fees are controlled by prison gangs, and those who fail to pay may face torture or death. Egregious as these abuses are, as of 2013, organized crime activities in Bolivia's penitentiary system are not at the levels of influence observed in most prisons of Central America, Brazil, Peru and Venezuela, where a significant proportion of outside organized crime is commanded from inside prisons.


2013 Palmasola prison riot, Riot
At approximately 6am on August 23, 2013, a riot broke out at Palmasola when a gang living in cell block B broke a hole in the wall that separated it from cell block A, the home of a rival gang. They then used machetes, small knives, and sticks to attack their rivals. The inmates used a number of propane tanks, first to suffocate victims with the gas, then set the tanks on fire, using them as flame throwers or bombs. Shell casings were found at the scene, but it was unclear whether guns had been used in the conflict.


2013 Palmasola prison riot, Riot
Fire spread quickly as straw mattresses caught fire, trapping some prisoners and causing others to jump off the roof in an attempt to escape the fire. A hundred additional police were dispatched to regain control of the prison; even so, it took four hours to do so. According to local politician Maria Inez Galvez, there were not enough guards on duty to take all the wounded to the hospital.


2013 Palmasola prison riot, Casualties
Thirty-one people died in the riot, most of whom were burnt to death. Among the dead was an 18-month-old who was living at the prison. A further 37 inmates were seriously injured with burns over 60-90% of their bodies, and 256 were evacuated. It was the deadliest prison riot in Bolivian history. President Evo Morales ordered an investigation as relatives waited outside the prison to learn if loved ones were injured or killed. They angrily complained that guards had made no effort to save inmate lives, instead letting the injured die from their burns. The children living at the prison were evacuated after the fire. A list of the deceased had not been released as of August 24. More than 50 prisoners suspected as aggressors during the riot have been isolated pending questioning.


2013 Palmasola prison riot, Cause
The riot reportedly started as a battle over leadership and control of the "Chonchocorito" sector of the prison. The gang in cell block A had allegedly been extracting payments from their rivals in cell block B who grew sick of the extortion attempts and started the riot. The suspected ringleaders were convicted murderers and rapists.


2013 Palmasola prison riot, Reaction and aftermath
The archbishop of Santa Cruz, Sergio Gualberti, said the riot highlights "the overcrowding that exists within Palmasola and much of the country" due to "breach of duty" on the part of the judicial system causing long delays before trial. He said inmates are "practically forgotten" by the judicial system with no attempts at rehabilitation and criticized the prisons' failure to separate violent and non-violent offenders from each other. Worst of all, he said, was the subjection of children to prison conditions. He said the church was willing to provide financial support to put an end to the practice.


2013 Palmasola prison riot, Reaction and aftermath
The Ombudsman agreed, saying the incident "clearly shows the weakness in prison security, the crisis caused by overcrowding and delayed justice, insecurity within the facilities, and the inadequate prison infrastructure." A representative for the National Convergence political party accused the government of negligence saying the presence of alcohol, weapons, and phones within the prison was strong evidence that authorities had no control of internal security within the prison.


2013 Palmer Cup
The 2013 Palmer Cup was held on June 7–9, 2013 on the South Course at Wilmington Country Club, Wilmington, Delaware. The United States won 20½ to 9½. The teams were increased from 8 to 10.


2013 Palmer Cup, Format
The order of the sessions was changed. On Friday, there were five matches of four-ball, while there were ten singles matches on Saturday. Five foursomes matches were played on Sunday morning followed by ten singles matches in the afternoon. In all, 30 matches were played.


2013 Palmer Cup, Format
Each of the 30 matches was worth one point in the larger team competition. If a match was all square after the 18th hole, each side earned half a point toward their team total. The team that accumulated at least 15½ points won the competition.


2013 Palmer Cup, Teams
Ten college golfers from the United States and Europe participated in the event.


2013 Palmer Cup, Michael Carter award
The Michael Carter Award winners were James Erkenbeck and Pedro Figueiredo.


2013 Pampanga local elections
Local elections was held in the Province of Pampanga on May 13, 2013, as part of the 2013 general election. Voters will select candidates for all local positions: a town mayor, vice mayor and town councilors, as well as members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the vice-governor, governor and representatives for the four districts of Pampanga.


2013 Pampanga local elections, Gubernatorial election
Incumbent Governor Lilia Pineda is running for her reelection under to her local party KAMBILAN (a coalition composed of National Unity Party, Lakas–CMD, Nationalist People's Coalition and United Nationalist Alliance), her running mate is her son Dennis Pineda. Governor Lilia will face again former governor Ed Panlilio of Liberal Party, his running mate is lawyer Maria Amalia Tiglao.


2013 Pampanga local elections, Congressional Election, 1st District
Incumbent Carmelo Lazatin is not running instead he is running for mayor of Angeles City, Lakas–CMD thru the local party KAMBILAN nominates basketball coach and incumbent Vice-Governor Yeng Guiao. he will face former Congressman Francis Nepomuceno.


2013 Pampanga local elections, Congressional Election, 2nd District
Incumbent Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is running despite of her sickness and in hospital arrest.


2013 Pampanga local elections, Congressional Election, 3rd District
Aurelio Gonzales, Jr. is the incumbent. he will facing-off incumbent San Fernando City Mayor Oscar Rodriguez.


2013 Pampanga local elections, Congressional Election, 4th District
Incumbent Anna York Bondoc is term limited; her brother Juan Pablo Bondoc is her party's nominee.


2013 Pan Am Badminton Championships
The XVIII 2013 Pan Am Badminton Championships were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, between October 24 and October 27, 2013.


2013 Pan Am Badminton Championships
This event was part of the 2013 BWF Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix series of the Badminton World Federation.


2013 Pan American Aerobic Gymnastics Championships
The 2013 Pan American Aerobic Gymnastics Championships were held in Santiago, Chile, October 20–27, 2013. The competition was organized by the Chilean Gymnastics Federation, and approved by the International Gymnastics Federation.


2013 Pan American Combined Events Cup
The 2013 Pan American Combined Events Cup was held in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, at the Terry Fox Stadium on June 1–2, 2013. The event was held jointly with the Athletics Ontario Senior Combined EventsChampionships and the Québec Canada Games Trials. A detailed report on the event and an appraisal of the results was given.


2013 Pan American Combined Events Cup, Participation
An unofficial count yields the participation of 27 athletes from 11 countries in the senior events. In addition, there were 26 local athletes (22 from Canada and 4 from the United States), and 5 junior athletes (including 1 from  Aruba, 1 from  Brazil, and 3 locals from Canada) integrated into the competition.


2013 Pan American Fencing Championships
The 2013 Pan American Fencing Championships were held in Cartagena, Colombia from 16 June to 21 June.


2013 Pan American Individual Event Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 2013 Pan American Individual Event Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, August 8–11, 2013. The competition was organized by the Puerto Rican Gymnastics Federation and approved by the International Gymnastics Federation.


2013 Pan American Judo Championships
The 2013 Pan American Judo Championships was held in San José, Costa Rica from April 19–20, 2013.


2013 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships
The 2013 Pan American Junior Championships was held at the Estadio Alfonso Galvis Duque in Medellin, Colombia, from 23–25 August. The competition was originally scheduled for 2–4 August in Lima, Peru. Lima was ruled out as the host and the dates were also amended in April, due to the clash with the 2013 World Games in Cali and its proximity to the 2013 World Championships in Athletics.


2013 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships
The United States easily topped the medal table with fifteen gold medals and 38 medals in total, continuing their streak as the best performing nation at the championships (bar one interruption at the 2001 edition). Cuba and Canada, the other traditionally strong nations in the region, were the next best performers: Cuba won eight golds in its haul of eleven medals while Canada had the second largest total with 19 medals (six of them gold). Brazil and Mexico each took four golds and the host nation Colombia claimed twelve medals overall. Twenty-one of the 36 participating nations reached the medal table.


2013 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships
Two championship record marks were bettered in 2013, both of the women's field events. In the pole vault Canada's Alysha Newman and Venezuela's Robeilys Peinado both cleared 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in). Newman broke the North American junior record and Peinado improved her own Venezuelan record. American Megan Glasman was the other to break a championship record with her winning mark of 53.93 m (176 ft 11 in) in the javelin throw. Another record of note was the South American junior record of  13.42 seconds in the 110 metres hurdles, set by Colombia's Juan Carlos Moreno. Felipe dos Santos of Brazil also broke the regional junior record with his winning score of 7762 points in the decathlon.


2013 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships
Among the participants, two completed doubles: Arialis Gandulla Martínez was the winner of both the women's 100 metres and 200 metres while Peru's Zulema Huacasi claimed both the 3000 metres flat and steeplechase titles. Brazil had two multiple medallists in Izabela da Silva (women's discus throw winner and shot put runner-up) and Thiago do Rosário (runner-up in both the men's 1500 metres and 5000 metres). Sage Watson of Canada won the 400 metres hurdles title, a silver in the 4×400 m relay, and a bronze in the flat race. Ecuadorian Angela Tenorio was a minor medallist in both the women's sprints.


2013 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships
Several medallists from the 2013 World Youth Championships in Athletics were present. Lázaro Martínez Santrayu repeated his triple jump title and Christoff Bryan won another men's high jump medal. Peinado and Tenorio had also won medals at the youth event.


2013 Pan American Men's Club Handball Championship
The 2013 Pan American Men's Club Handball Championship took place in Taubaté from 19 to 23 June. It acts as the Pan American qualifying tournament for the 2013 IHF Super Globe.


2013 Pan American Men's Club Handball Championship, Modus
The seven teams played in two groups a round Robin.


2013 Pan American Men's Club Handball Championship, Modus
The two last from each group played the 5-8 place semifinals.


2013 Pan American Men's Club Handball Championship, Modus
The loser of this played the 7 place game and the winners the 5th place game.


2013 Pan American Men's Club Handball Championship, Modus
The first from each group played against the second from the other group the Semifinals.


2013 Pan American Men's Club Handball Championship, Modus
The losers of the semis played Third place game and the winners the Final.


2013 Pan American Men's Junior Handball Championship
The 2013 Pan American Men's Junior Handball Championship took place in Mar del Plata from 18–24 March. It acts as the Pan American qualifying tournament for the 2013 Men's Junior World Handball Championship.


2013 Pan American Race Walking Cup
The 2013 Pan American Race Walking Cup was held in Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala. The track of the Cup runs in the Avenida Simeón Cañas, Zona 2.


2013 Pan American Race Walking Cup
A detailed report was given by Fernando Ruiz Del Valle.


2013 Pan American Race Walking Cup, Participation
The participation of 144 athletes from 19 countries is reported.


2013 Pan American Road Cycling Championships
The 2013 Pan American Road Cycling Championships took place in Zacatecas, Mexico, May 1–5, 2013.


2013 Pan American Track Cycling Championships
The 2013 Pan American Track Cycling Championships took place at the CNAR Velodrome, Mexico City, Mexico on February 6–10, 2013.


2013 Pan American Women's Handball Championship
The 2013 Pan American Women's Handball Championship was the twelfth edition of the Pan American Women's Handball Championship, which took place in the Dominican Republic from 1 to 8 June 2013. It acted as the American qualifying tournament for the 2013 World Women's Handball Championship to be held in Serbia from December 7 to 22. It was organized by the Pan-American Team Handball Federation. This was the second time that this tournament was held in the Dominican Republic after the 2007 Pan American Women's Handball Championship.


2013 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League
The 2013 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League season, known as the Telikom NSL Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the seventh edition of Papua New Guinea National Soccer League.


2013 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League
The title was won by Hekari United, who defeated FC Port Moresby in the Grand Final 3–0 to win their seventh consecutive title.


2013 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, Teams
Only four sides returned from the previous season, with Tukoko University, Bulolo United and Petro Souths withdrawing from the competition. Hekari United and Gigira Laitepo Morobe returned for their seventh successive seasons, while Eastern Stars returned for their fifth and Besta PNG United for their fourth. Welgris Highlanders rejoined the league after a three-year absence, while there were debuts for Oro FC, WNB Tavur and FC Port Moresby.


2013 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, Format
The league reverted to the traditional 'home and away' fixtures after the previous season had seen each side play each other three times. The team at the top of the league after all matches were played was crowned 'Minor Premiers' and secured qualification for the 2013–14 OFC Champions League. At the end of the regular season, the top four teams advanced to a knockout competition, the winners of which were crowned Champions.


2013 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, Summary
The season kick-off was delayed several times due to late registrations leading to a lack of sufficient clubs. By late December 2012, only four teams had completed the registration process: current champions Hekari United, Besta United PNG, Welgris Highlanders and West New Britain Tavur. FC Port Moresby, joined in early January. At this stage, the NSL had decided to go ahead with the league with just six teams, the lowest since the inaugural season, but two sides, Morobe FC and Oro FC, submitted their registration documents on the same day, leaving the organisers with a dilemma. It was only on 29 January that the teams were confirmed, over two months later than usual, with the addition of Eastern Stars creating an eight-team league for the season ahead.


2013 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, Summary
The fixtures throughout the season were a little irregular, especially for WNB Tavur, who were based in the New Guinea islands, and thus incurred higher travel costs than most other teams. This meant that the side organised away matches in 'clumps' to avoid back-and-forth travel costs. As a result, they often played their matches outside of the usual weekend schedule.


2013 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, Summary
By the time WNB Tavur played their first match on 13 February, most other sides had already played two. Hekari and Besta PNG led the table with two wins from two, with Hekari top on goal difference thanks mainly to a 6–0 away win at Welgris Highlanders on the second weekend of the season. Tavur ended up drawing with Eastern Stars in their opening fixture, before playing back-to-back away matches on 20, 23 and 28 February to catch up to the rest of the schedule – all three of which they lost. By the end of February, after four fixtures played, Hekari led the table with four wins from four ahead of Besta PNG United – who had dropped points after a 1–1 draw with FC Port Moresby on match-day four – on ten.


2013 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, Summary
By mid-March it had become clear that it would be a two-horse race for the title, with Hekari having won six out of six, and Besta managing to keep pace just two points behind them after six games – six clear of FC Port Moresby in third place. Moresby's challenge suffered another dent the following week when they were awarded a 3–0 away defeat against WNB Tavur, as they were unable to make the journey to the New Guinea islands. This would happen again to Welgris Highlanders later in the season.


2013 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, Summary
On 23 March, however, Moresby became the first club to take points off Hekari after a 1–1 draw in Port Moresby. This result put Hekari three points clear of Besta PNG at the top, having played a game more. On 30 March, FC Port Moresby defeated Gigira Laitepo Morobe 1–0 to bring them level on points with Morobe in third place.


2013 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, Summary
On 7 April, WNB Tavur recorded their only legitimate victory of the season, defeating Besta PNG United 2–1 in a match which would have put Besta top of the league, had they won it – Hekari were away taking part in the OFC Champions League and had three consecutive away fixtures in their group, which disrupted their NSL fixture scheduling. The following week, Besta would lose again, this time to FC Port Moresby, 3–0, again spurning the chance to go top, while inviting pressure from clubs behind them. On 20 April, Besta finally went top after a 5–1 win over Gigira Laitepo Morobe, while FC Port Moresby's 4–3 victory over Welgris Highlanders took them within one point of Hekari, having played four games more.


2013 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, Summary
Hekari returned to Papua New Guinea in late April, with one home fixture in the group stages of the OFC Champions League remaining, having already been eliminated. On 24 April, they defeated Oro FC 1–0 to return to the top of the league, before Besta's 2–2 draw with Eastern Stars left them one point ahead of Hekari with two games to play – both of them against Hekari. Hekari, meanwhile, had five fixtures remaining.


2013 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, Summary
After Hekari beat Eastern Stars 9–1 midweek, Besta held Hekari to a 2–2 draw on the 'final day' of fixtures on 4 May, meaning they went into their final fixture needing to beat Hekari, and to hope that Hekari would lose the rest of their rescheduled fixtures, in order to claim the Minor Premiership. However, a fired-up Hekari thrashed Besta 5–0 on 8 May, securing the Minor Premiership, before winning all of their remaining fixtures to finish the season unbeaten. Hekari and Besta entered the playoffs alongside FC Port Moresby and fourth-placed Gigira Laitepo Morobe.


2013 Papua New Guinea National Soccer League, Summary
In the playoffs, Hekari eased past Morobe 3–0 to reach the final, while a disappointing Besta lost 2–0 against FC Port Moresby, allowing the debutants to enter the Grand Final at the first time of asking. Besta claimed third-place with a 3–2 win over Morobe in the third-place playoff, but Hekari stole the headlines again on 1 June with their seventh consecutive title, beating Port Moresby 3–0 with goals from Nigel Dabinyaba, Daniel Joe and a penalty from Ericson Komeng.


2013 Parachinar bombing
The 2013 Parachinar bombing occurred on 26 July 2013. At least 57 people were killed and more than 100 injured after two bombs exploded on a market in Parachinar a capital city in Kurram Valley and the largest city of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in northern Pakistan on Friday the official said. The blast took place near the Afghan border and  Shi'ite mosques. On 27 July 2013 the death toll rise to 57.


2013 Paradise Jam Tournament
The 2013 Paradise Jam Tournament was a men's and women's preseason college basketball tournament that took place in Saint Thomas at the Sports and Fitness Center. Maryland won the men's division while Duke won the women's Island Division and Syracuse won the women's Reef Division.


2013 Paradise Jam Tournament, Women's Tournament
The women's tournament consists of 8 teams split into two 4-team, round-robin divisions: Island and Reef.


2013 Paradise Jam Tournament, Women's Tournament, Overview
Duke beat Xavier 81–54 in the opening round of the Island Division on November 28, 2013. Kansas followed with a 68—63 victory over Central Michigan. The Reef Division teams played in the evening, when Texas A&M defeated Memphis 69–59. In the other match up, Syracuse defeated Texas 75–65.


2013 Paradise Jam Tournament, Women's Tournament, Overview
The following day, Duke struggled early against Central Michigan; down 24–21 in the first half. The Blue Devils then went on an 18–2 run to take a large lead, and cruised to a 97–64 victory. In the other Island Division match-up, Xavier was down 26–20 with a minute to go in the first half, but tied the game at halftime. Kansas again pulled into the lead in the second half, on an 11–2 run to start the half, but Xavier came back to win the game 64–59.


2013 Paradise Jam Tournament, Women's Tournament, Overview
In the Reef Division, unranked Texas upset previously unbeaten and 12th-ranked Texas A&M. Texas pulled out to a twelve-point lead at halftime, and the two teams played roughly even in the second half. Texas's Nneka Enemkpali scored 20 points, hitting seven of her eight field goal attempts and six of her eight free throw attempts. In the other Reef Division game, Syracuse pulled out to a 15-point halftime lead against Memphis, and extended the lead in the second half to remain undefeated with a 77–58 win.


2013 Paradise Jam Tournament, Women's Tournament, Overview
On the final day of the tournament, Central Mich beat Xavier 88—62 in the Island Division. In the other match-up, Duke held only a nine-point lead at halftime, but pulled away to win by 33 points, 73–40. With an undefeated record, Duke won the Tournament title for the Island Division. In the Reef Division, Texas easily beat Memphis, 65–36 to go 2–1 in the tournament. Syracuse played 12th ranked Texas A&M in the other game. The Aggies led by six early in the game, but Syracuse took over and led by nine at halftime. They pulled out to a large lead in the second half. Texas A&M cut the lead back to single digits, but were unable to re-take the lead. Syracuse on the game 78–63 and won the Championship of the Reef Division.


2013 Paraguayan Athletics Championships
The 2013 Campeonato de la Victoria or 2013 Torneo de la Victoria was held at the Secretaria Nacional de Deportes in Asunción, organized by Federación Paraguaya de Atletismo. It was the 63rd edition.


2013 Paraguayan Athletics Championships
The competition serves as the Paraguayan Athletics Championships in track and field for the Republic of Paraguay, being the country's most important national athletics competitions.


2013 Paraguayan División Intermedia season
The 2013 División Intermedia season was the 17th season of semi-professional football in Paraguay (second division), organized by the Paraguayan Football Association.


2013 Paraguayan División Intermedia season
It will start on March 30 and will end in October.


2013 Paraguayan División Intermedia season, Relegation
Relegations is determined at the end of the season by computing an average (Spanish: promedio) of the number of points earned per game over the past three seasons. The three teams with the lowest average is relegated.


2013 Paraguayan Primera División season
The 2013 División Profesional season (officially the 2013 Copa TIGO- Visión Banco for sponsorship reasons) was the 79th season of top-flight professional football in Paraguay.


2013 Paraguayan Primera División season, Torneo Apertura
The Campeonato de Apertura, also the Copa TIGO-Visión Banco for sponsorship reasons, was the 108º official championship of the Primera División, called "Don Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb", and was the first championship of the 2013 season. It began on February 9 and ended on June 30.


2013 Paraguayan Primera División season, Torneo Clausura
The Campeonato de Clausura, also the Copa TIGO-Visión Banco for sponsorship reasons, was the 109º official championship of the Primera División, and was the second championship of the 2013 season.


2013 Paraguayan Primera División season, Aggregate table
In 2013, Paraguay have seven slots in international cups (three in the Copa Libertadores de America and four in the Copa Sudamericana). These seven slots will be filled by five teams.


2013 Paraguayan Primera División season, Relegation
Relegations is determined at the end of the season by computing an average (Spanish: promedio) of the number of points earned per game over the past three seasons. The two teams with the lowest average is relegated to the División Intermedia for the following season.


2013 Paraguayan general election
General elections were held in Paraguay on 21 April 2013. They resulted in a victory for the Colorado Party, which had ruled the country for 60 years before losing power in 2008. The presidential elections were won by the Colorado Party's Horacio Cartes, who defeated Efraín Alegre of the Paraguay Alegre alliance. The Colorado Party also won the most seats in the Senate and Chamber of Deputies.


2013 Paraguayan general election, Background
In the previous general elections in 2008 Fernando Lugo was elected President. However, he was controversially impeached and removed from office in a 48-hour period in June 2012, following an eviction at a farm that led to the death of six police and eleven farmers. Lugo was replaced by his vice-president Federico Franco. Following the impeachment, Paraguay was suspended from Mercosur and Unasur, who denounced the impeachment as a Congressional coup.


2013 Paraguayan general election, Background
Franco was barred from running for a full term in 2013. The Constitution of Paraguay does not allow a president to run for reelection, even if he serves a partial term.


2013 Paraguayan general election, Candidates
Forward Country (Avanza País), a centre-left alliance including, amongst others, the Revolutionary Febrerista Party and the Christian Democratic Party.


2013 Paraguayan general election, Candidates
Frente Guasú, a left-wing alliance including, amongst others, the Party for a Country of Solidarity and the Paraguayan Communist Party.


2013 Paraguayan general election, Candidates
Paraguay Alegre (lit. Happy Paraguay, alluding to their candidate's name), a centrist alliance including, amongst others, the Authentic Radical Liberal Party, the Democratic Progressive Party and the National Encounter Party.


2013 Paraguayan general election, Candidates
On the night of 2 February 2013, Lino Oviedo Silva, the candidate of the right-wing National Union of Ethical Citizens, died in a helicopter accident near Puerto Antequera, in the Chaco region. His death was confirmed the following day, when the national police rescue team found the three burnt corpses of Oviedo, the plane's pilot, and a bodyguard. His candidacy was taken over by his nephew Lino Oviedo Sánchez.


2013 Paraguayan general election, Campaign
Reporters without Borders said in April 2013 that "Paraguay continues to be a dangerous country for journalists, in part because of the links between politics and organized crime, which were widely criticized during the campaign." It noted that two television stations (the public TV Pública and private Canal 9 SNT) had refused to air a Frente Guasú campaign ad highlighting the role of candidates Cartes and Alegre in the impeachment of Fernando Lugo.


2013 Paraguayan general election, Campaign
During the campaign Cartes made homophobic statements, comparing homosexuals to monkeys and saying he would shoot himself in the testicles if his son turned out to be gay.


2013 Paraguayan general election, Reactions
The defeated candidate Alegre conceded to Cartes a short time after preliminary results were announced. Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner congratulated the Paraguayan people, describing the election as "exemplary" and announced her endorsement of a re-admission of the country to the Mercosur community. José Mujica, the president of Uruguay, congratulated Cartes as well and invited him to the Mercosur summit that is to take place in his country in June. The European Union's high representative for foreign affairs, Catherine Ashton lauded the high turn-out, orderly and calm conduct of the election. Among the first felicitators was also Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. Spain's Mariano Rajoy also congratulated him.


2013 Paris attacks
On November 15, 2013, a gunman attacked the offices of the  BFM TV news channel, in Paris, France. Three days later, on November 18, the same gunman attacked the offices of the Libération newspaper and the headquarters of the Société Générale bank. The gunman hijacked a motorist whom he forced to drive to Champs-Élysées before releasing him. The attacks set off a manhunt in search of the gunman, who was later apprehended.


2013 Paris attacks
The gunman, Abdelhakim Dekhar, was already known to police for his role in the 1994 Rey-Maupin affair.


2013 Paris attacks, Attacks, BFMTV Studio Incident
On November 15, 2013, Dekar, acting alone, entered 's news network station wielding a pump-action shotgun. He threatened journalists in the lobby briefly before leaving the station. It is unclear whether his weapon malfunctioned or if he chose not to shoot, but he left multiple unused cartridges and told witnesses, "Next time, I won't miss."


2013 Paris attacks, Attacks, Libération News Headquarters Attack and Société Générale Incident
On November 18, 2013 at 10 a.m., just three days after the initial attack, Dekar entered the headquarters of the Libération newspaper and opened fire. During the attack, a 23-year-old freelance photographer was shot in the arm and chest. The gunman soon left and the victim was rushed to the hospital with critical injuries near his heart. Just two hours after the shooting at the Libération newspaper, two shots were fired outside the French bank, Société Générale. Soon after, witnesses described the shooter as wearing a khaki coat and hat. No one was injured.


2013 Paris attacks, Attacks, Escape
After fleeing from the site of the Société Générale shooting, Dekhar acquired a vehicle by taking a man hostage in the town of Pluteaux, near La Défense. Dekar forced the man to drive three and a half miles towards central Paris before letting him go at the Champs-Élysées. The gunman continued to flee but was later arrested in an underground parking complex 6 miles north of Paris, in Bois-Colombes. Officials reported that the gunman was extremely incoherent due to multiple prescription medications that he had consumed within a short period of time. It was later reported by officials that he tried to attempt suicide this way.


2013 Paris attacks, Suspect
Parisian prosecutor François Molins alleged that a lone gunman was behind the three attacks and the hijacking. On November 20, French authorities arrested Abdelhakim Dekhar in Bois-Colombes on suspicion of carrying out the attacks. Authorities said DNA and video evidence indicated that Dekhar was responsible for each of the attacks.


2013 Paris attacks, Suspect
Dekhar was already known to police due to his role in the Rey-Maupin affair in which the police alleged that he had supplied a gun to Rey and Maupin, a couple who would eventually attack five police officers in a high profile chase.


2013 Paris attacks, Suspect
Police acquired a number of "confused" letters written by Dekhar, in which he accused the media of "manipulation of the masses", of capitalism, and of participating in a "fascist plot."


2013 Paris attacks, Suspect, Family and early life
Abdelhakim Dekhar was born in 1965 in Algrange, France. The third of eleven children, it is widely believed that he was born into an extremely unstable family and was a troubled child. At an early age, he ran away from home and spent a short period of his childhood in sponsored care. At 17, he joined the military and served in the 9th Parachute Regiment. During his first trial in the 1990s, he explained to the judge that his service was cut short because he was recruited to work for the Algerian secret service. After his release from prison in the late 1990s for his involvement in the Rey-Maupin affair, Dekhar lived quietly in Britain.


2013 Paris attacks, Suspect, Involvement in Rey-Maupin affair
In 1998, Dekhar was sentenced to four years in prison for supplying the gun used by anarchist youths in an attempted robbery in the 1994 Rey-Maupin affair, but was soon released, having already served most of his time before the verdict.


2013 Paris attacks, Motivation
At the trial, Dekhar claimed he was suicidal and "desperate" for the police to kill him, and raised political topics such as France's colonization of Algeria and social problems in the French suburbs.


2013 Paris attacks, Trial and sentencing
In 2017, Dekhar was sentenced to serve 25 years for the 2013 attacks.


2013 Paris–Nice
The 2013 Paris–Nice was the 71st running of the Paris–Nice cycling stage race, often known as the Race to the Sun. It started on 3 March in Houilles and ended on 10 March in Nice and consisted of eight stages, including a race-commencing prologue and a race-concluding mountain individual time trial. It was the second race of the 2013 UCI World Tour season.


2013 Paris–Nice
The race was won by Australia's Richie Porte of Team Sky, who took the lead after winning the race's queen stage – the fifth stage – to La Montagne de Lure, and also won the final time trial at Col d'Èze, to become the first Australian rider to win the race. Porte won the general classification by 55 seconds over runner-up Andrew Talansky (Garmin–Sharp), who was winner of the race's third stage. Talansky also won the white jersey for the young rider classification, as he was the highest placed rider born in 1988 or later. Ag2r–La Mondiale's Jean-Christophe Péraud completed the podium, 26 seconds behind Talansky and 81 seconds down on Porte.


2013 Paris–Nice
In the race's other classifications, Omega Pharma–Quick-Step's Sylvain Chavanel was the winner of the green jersey for the points classification, amassing the highest number of points during stages at intermediate sprints and stage finishes, and Johann Tschopp was the winner of the mountains classification for the IAM Cycling team, who were making their World Tour début at the race. Team Katusha were the winners of the teams classification on their World Tour return, having missed the Tour Down Under after temporarily losing their World Tour status before successfully appealing the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.


2013 Paris–Nice, Teams
As Paris–Nice was a UCI World Tour event, all UCI ProTeams were invited automatically and obligated to send a squad. Originally, eighteen ProTeams were invited to the race, with four other squads given wildcard places, and as such, would have formed the event's 22-team peloton. Team Katusha subsequently regained their ProTour status after an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. With Team Katusha not originally invited to the race, race organisers announced their inclusion to the race, bringing the total number of teams competing to twenty-three.


2013 Paris–Nice, Teams
Among the 184-rider start list was only one previous race winner; Andreas Klöden, who triumphed in 2000, competed for the RadioShack–Leopard team.


2013 Paris–Nice, Stages, Prologue
The opening stage of the 2013 Paris–Nice was a short, flat, yet technical individual time trial stage in and around the Yvelines commune of Houilles, around 15 km (9.3 mi) outside Paris. Packed into just under 3 km (1.9 mi) of racing were numerous 90-degree bends, requiring riders to make short, sharp bursts of acceleration. As such, the stage itself was not suited towards any kind of time trial specialists; instead, riders who had a track background, rouleurs or certain sprinters who had sufficient pace to complete the course in a favourable time. Weather was not expected to be a major factor in the stage proceedings, unlike previous race-opening time trial stages. Marco Bandiera was the first rider to start the stage, on the World Tour début for his team, IAM Cycling.


2013 Paris–Nice, Stages, Prologue
Bandiera recorded a time of 3' 55" for the course, but was almost immediately bettered by Team Katusha's Yuri Trofimov and Omega Pharma–Quick-Step rider Stijn Vandenbergh. Vandenbergh's time of 3' 50" was marginally beaten by Sébastien Minard of Ag2r–La Mondiale, setting the tone for most of the stage with numerous placings set to be settled by tenths of a second. FDJ sprinter Nacer Bouhanni, riding a road bike for the course, was the first rider to go beneath 3' 50", as he set a time of 3' 47".


2013 Paris–Nice, Stages, Prologue
However, his stay at the top was also short-lived as Blanco Pro Cycling's Maarten Tjallingii went three seconds quicker to move to the top of the timesheets. Astana sprinter Borut Božič was the next rider to assume the stage lead, as he set a time of 3' 40"; his time was ultimately good enough for a final placing of eighth. Božič's time provided a stiff test for the majority of the field, as his time held on at the top for over half an hour, but Peter Velits (Omega Pharma–Quick-Step) ultimately went quicker by less than a second to take the lead.


2013 Paris–Nice, Stages, Prologue
Another FDJ sprinter, and former French under-23 time trial champion, Geoffrey Soupe was the first rider to go underneath 3' 40", but he would ultimately lose out on white jersey honours – for young rider classification leader – to Tjallingii's teammate Wilco Kelderman, who completed the course marginally quicker. French national champion Sylvain Chavanel was next to assume the lead for Omega Pharma–Quick-Step, going a second faster than Kelderman, but immediately after, Damien Gaudin – a former team pursuitist on the track for France – knocked another second off the benchmark for Team Europcar.


2013 Paris–Nice, Stages, Prologue
Gaudin's time of 3' 37" held until the end of the stage, and gave him his first victory as a professional, a performance he later described as "mad". Besides Chavanel, Lieuwe Westra recorded the best time of the overall contenders for Vacansoleil–DCM, finishing less than a second off Gaudin's stage-winning time, in third position. Both riders were satisfied with their performances post-stage.


2013 Paris–Nice, Stages, Stage 1
The first mass-start stage of the race was set up ideally for the sprinters, with very little on the course to threaten the peloton. Over the course of the 195 km (121.2 mi) parcours, there was very little fluctuation of altitude, even with only one categorised climb en route. The fourth-category Côte de Buthiers ascent offered the first points towards the mountains classification of the race, but at 500 m (1,600 ft) long and a gradient of 4.2%, was not going to test the riders too much. Intermediate sprints at Malesherbes and La Madeleine-sur-Loing offered bonus seconds towards the general classification, the latter coming on a 47 km (29.2 mi) loop around Nemours, before the stage finish.


2013 Paris–Nice, Stages, Stage 1
A trio of riders – Vacansoleil–DCM's Bert-Jan Lindeman, Euskaltel–Euskadi rider Romain Sicard and Yannick Talabardon of Sojasun – made the early breakaway from the field, and managed to extend their advantage to the peloton to almost seven-and-a-half minutes at one point during the stage, before eventually stabilising at the five-minute mark for the majority of the stage.


2013 Paris–Nice, Stages, Stage 1
Lindeman took maximum points on offer during the stage; he crossed each of the two intermediate sprint lines in first position, ahead of Talabardon and Sicard on both occasions, while it was the same order at the Côte de Buthiers, where Lindeman secured the polka-dot jersey for the day. After the climb, there was a crash in the peloton, which forced Rui Costa (Movistar Team) to withdraw from the race, with a wrist injury, bruising and stitches.


2013 Paris–Nice, Stages, Stage 1
As the leaders were brought back towards the main field, an increase of pace in the peloton caused it to separate, and caught out several of the expected stage challengers, such as Argos–Shimano's Marcel Kittel and Omega Pharma–Quick-Step's Tom Boonen, who won the first mass-start stage in the 2012 edition of the race. Both riders would eventually finish in a group that finished just under two minutes behind the lead group.


2013 Paris–Nice, Stages, Stage 1
The lead trio were eventually caught with around 23 km (14.3 mi) remaining, with the sprinters' teams moving towards the front of the peloton from there on, before the finish in Nemours. Orica–GreenEDGE tried to set it up for Leigh Howard but their sprint train was overhauled by Boonen's teammate Sylvain Chavanel, who launched his sprint first. French national champion Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ) launched his sprint off Chavanel's wheel, and went side-by-side with Alessandro Petacchi of Lampre–Merida, with Bouhanni just prevailing ahead of Petacchi and Cannondale's Elia Viviani. With ten bonus seconds on the finish line, Bouhanni took the leader's yellow jersey from Team Europcar's Damien Gaudin, who finished in the main field.


2013 Paris–Nice, Stages, Stage 2
The second stage was run predominantly in a north-to-south direction, starting in Vimory in the Loiret department and finishing in the Allier commune of Cérilly, via a finishing loop of 18 km (11.2 mi) in length, and two intermediate sprint points – one in Les Choux, while the other came on the first passage of the finish line in Cérilly – respectively.


2013 Paris–Nice, Stages, Stage 2
Although there were no categorised climbs during the stage, the final kilometre of the stage – at the end of a 4 km (2.5 mi) long stretch of road – was uphill, reaching a gradient of 4% in certain places. However, the stage was still designed to suit the sprinters, with the uphill finish also aiding the chances for the puncheurs.


2013 Paris–Nice, Stages, Stage 2
Strong headwinds were prominent during the stage, although this did not stop three riders attacking in the opening kilometre; Kris Boeckmans of Vacansoleil–DCM was joined by Saxo–Tinkoff's Mads Christensen and Team Katusha's Gatis Smukulis, and the trio remained together until Les Choux, when Boeckmans elected to return to the main field after winning the intermediate sprint. Smukulis and Christensen soldiered on with a lead of around four minutes, but the peloton were back together by the 43 km (26.7 mi) mark, as FDJ established the pace of the group, to keep the overall leader Nacer Bouhanni out of danger.


2013 Paris–Nice, Stages, Stage 2
After around 20 km (12.4 mi) of stasis within the field, two of Boeckmans' teammates – Thomas De Gendt and Juan Antonio Flecha – attacked, along with Euskaltel–Euskadi rider Mikel Astarloza and Maxime Bouet of Ag2r–La Mondiale, and their advantage reached a similar mark to that achieved by the first breakaway, at around four minutes. FDJ continued to set the pace on the front, bringing the lead gap to around a minute with 60 km (37.3 mi) remaining.


2013 Paris–Nice, Stages, Stage 2
However, Bouhanni hit the ground heavily while negotiating a left-hand bend, falling face first. He had to abandon the race with two broken teeth, and required eight stitches for a burst lip. The peloton was neutralised as Bouhanni was receiving treatment by the roadside, but the pace lifted once again, after confirmation of Bouhanni's abandonment had been received by his teammates. The breakaway was negated with 45 km (28.0 mi) left to cover of the stage, when the sprinters' teams started to make early headway towards the front of the peloton.


2013 Paris–Nice, Stages, Stage 2
Cannondale, Omega Pharma–Quick-Step and Argos–Shimano moved forward ahead of the second intermediate sprint, where Elia Viviani took maximum points for Cannondale, ahead of Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma–Quick-Step) and the rest of the field. Several solo attacks were neutralised on the loop around Cérilly, which set up a sprint finish. Lampre–Merida tried to launch Alessandro Petacchi first, but Marcel Kittel (Argos–Shimano) finished strongest down the right-hand side of the road and achieved his second win of the season by three bike lengths. Finishing just behind was Viviani, who became the race's third leader in successive days, as well as taking the lead of both the points and young rider classifications.


2013 Paris–Nice, Stages, Stage 3
Following the sprinter-friendly stages of the previous two days, the third stage was more undulating and included three categorised climbs during its 170.5 km (105.9 mi) itinerary. In between the two intermediate sprint points – coming in the communes of Joze, and in Brioude itself – were two third-category climbs of the Col de Potey and the Côte de la Forêt de la Comté, but neither averaged more than 5% in gradient over the duration of their ascents.


2013 Paris–Nice, Stages, Stage 3
After reaching Brioude, the peloton completed a finishing loop of around 28 km (17.4 mi) in length; halfway around the loop was the day's final climb, the second-category Côte de Mauvagnat ascent, a 2.7 km (1.7 mi) long climb with a listed average gradient of 6.7%. The climb itself was seen as the pivotal point of the day's action, whether the sprinters could stay with the main field before the descent back into Brioude.


2013 Paris–Nice, Stages, Stage 3
Heavy rain made riding conditions slightly treacherous, but the day's breakaway formed in the opening kilometres as normal. For the second day running, Saxo–Tinkoff's Mads Christensen made it into an attacking move, where he was joined by Vacansoleil–DCM rider Martijn Keizer, Sébastien Minard (Ag2r–La Mondiale) and Alexis Vuillermoz of the Sojasun team. The quartet slowly built up their advantage over the peloton, being led by the Cannondale team – protecting the race leader Elia Viviani – to a maximum advantage of around four minutes.