The ECP should seriously consider allowing political party candidates to compete from one constituency each.
ISLAMABAD: Why is it that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) allows candidates to stand for elections in more than one constituency? Logically speaking, if the candidate himself is not fully sure of getting elected from his own hometown, why is he allowed to compete from another place where he has no political or personal on-the-ground involvement with the electorate? Even worse is the abandonment of the seats by these candidates after the elections leading to a very costly by-elections process, which sees a lower voter turnout and a total waste of precious national resources.
The ECP should seriously consider allowing political party candidates to compete from one constituency each, where they have served the local constituents. Multiple constituency electioneering is both illogical and against the norms of a democratic system and hence, should be banned in future elections by the ECP.
Shehzad Ahmed Mir
Published in The Express Tribune, August 24th, 2013.
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