Google has caught everyone’s attention by featuring a doodle dedicated to the upcoming General Elections 2023 in Pakistan. The tradition started by the first-ever Google Doodle in 1998, where these interesting illustrations are usually shown on the day of the event they represent.
The appearance of the doodle has intrigued netizens, who see it as a subtle reminder from Google about the upcoming general elections in Pakistan. These elections are scheduled to take place in October this year and hold great significance for the country’s democracy.
The last general elections in Pakistan were held in 2018, resulting in a victory for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and the appointment of Imran Khan as the Prime Minister. However, in April 2022, Imran Khan was removed from office after a no-confidence motion led by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a coalition of 13 political parties. The PDM also successfully challenged PTI’s control in the province of Punjab.
Despite initial setbacks, PTI managed to regain the support of the people and won seats in subsequent by-elections, eventually forming a provincial government. It was surprising when PTI dissolved the assemblies, as this was not the norm in the country’s political history, in order to call for general elections. PTI has been demanding new elections ever since, while the PDM and the country’s elections authority have shown a lack of enthusiasm, as perceived by the public.
Given this background, the appearance of the Google Doodle has generated a lot of excitement and added to the buzz surrounding the upcoming general elections in an interesting and unexpected way.
Understanding Google Doodles
Google Doodles are temporary changes made to the Google logo on the company’s homepage. They are created to celebrate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures. The first Google Doodle was made in 1998 when Larry Page and Sergey Brin wanted to let users know if there were any issues with the servers during the Burning Man event in Nevada.
Initially, Susan Wojcicki, an early Marketing employee, was responsible for creating Google Doodles. She introduced creative designs like an alien landing and customized logos for major holidays. At first, external contractors were hired to design the doodles, but in 2000, Dennis Hwang, a public relations officer, was asked by Page and Brin to design a logo for Bastille Day. Since then, a team of employees known as “Doodlers” has been in charge of organizing and publishing the Doodles.