Closing ranks: ECP members should resign, says Shah

Says PPP, PTI and JI to hold joint meeting on reforms.

ISLAMABAD:

Almost 48 hours after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf unveiled its demands for electoral reforms, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP ramped up pressure on the government on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) members following similar calls by other opposition parties.

Joining the chorus for electoral reform, Syed Khursheed Shah, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly and senior leader of the PPP, told reporters that following serious allegations of rigging in last year’s general election all members of the ECP should resign.

Khursheed, who recently held unsuccessful consultations with the government on the selection of a new chief election commissioner (CEC) – a post lying vacant, added that the PPP, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) will meet today (Wednesday) to discuss proposals for electoral reforms in the country.

The largest opposition party in parliament, the PPP’s decision to throw its weight behind demands for electoral reforms comes just two days after PTI chief Imran Khan held a protest march that converged on the federal capital against alleged rigging during the May 11, 2013 election.

The ECP – the body that supervises elections in the country – comprises a CEC and four members representing each province. These members are retired judges of high courts and are appointed for a period of five years.

The ECP, without a permanent head for more than nine months now, has been hit by a series of allegations following the resignation of its last chief election commissioner justice (retd) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim in July last year. Ebrahim resigned after a controversy erupted on the change in dates for the presidential election, with opposition parties accusing the ECP of changing the dates at the behest of the government without taking into account their views.

Since the office of the CEC is a constitutional post, it cannot be left vacant. In the absence of a permanent CEC a senior-most judge of Supreme Court is appointed as acting chief to head the commission.

The appointment of CEC is made by the prime minister in consultation with leader of the opposition in the National Assembly. The PML-N led government and PPP have held talks to agree on a consensus name for the post. However, the process has been stalled for many months. The Supreme Court had given the government March 19 as the deadline to fill the post.

Under law, the post of CEC and the commission’s four members are appointed for a period of five years and are due to step down in June 2016, when their term expires. They cannot be removed from their office unless they resign or a reference is filed against them to the Supreme Judicial Council.

Despite voicing serious reservations against incumbent members of the ECP, opposition political parties have so far failed to provide proof of misconduct or rigging by ECP members. As a result, opposition parties have decided to build pressure on ECP members to resign voluntarily.

Meanwhile, ECP has sent a letter directing election tribunals to expedite proceedings of pending election petitions. The commission has also asked the tribunals to submit reports on the status of pending cases within a week.

Some 14 tribunals were set up by ECP across the country to hear nearly 400 post-election petitions filed by candidates. Despite progress, 100 cases are still pending with these tribunals. 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2014.