Reserved seats: Parties submit lists of candidates

Reserved seats are allocated to the parties in proportion to the number of general seats they win in the assembly.

ISLAMABAD:

Seemingly confident of sweeping the upcoming polls, Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has submitted the longest list of candidates – a total of 22 – for 10 reserved seats for minorities in the National Assembly.

All parties that are hopeful of winning seats in the general elections submit lists of their nominees for reserved seats for women and minorities to the Election Commission of Pakistan.

These seats are allocated to the parties in proportion to the number of general seats they win for a respective assembly.

A simple formula of dividing 272 by 10 is used to allocate one minority seat. Hence a party winning 27.2 general seats will get one minority seat. Similarly, on every 4.53 general seats, one women reserved seat is allocated to a party. These seats are allocated to the parties in accordance with their priority list. Naturally, the numbers are rounded down.

There is no bar on women and non-Muslims from taking part in elections on general/directly elected seats, but very few opt for this option.

The list of nominees on reserved seats, once submitted to the ECP, cannot be changed; however, in case the list of some party is exhausted, it is allowed to submit new names.

From the nine political parties that have submitted their lists for minorities’ reserved seats, the PTI has the largest number, with 22 nominees finalised.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl has nominated six names against reserved seats for minorities

Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party filed a list of two candidates in order of priority for seats reserved for non-Muslims.

The Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) has submitted 12 names, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement have nominated five candidates each.

The Jamat-e-Islami also submitted an ambitious list of 10 minority candidates, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s list comprises of eight names.

For the reserved seats of women and minorities in the provincial assemblies, political parties file similar lists to the provincial election commissioners. These seats are allocated to political parties with the same formula in accordance with the number of general seats they win.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 3^rd, 2013.