Electoral reforms: Civil servant, technocrat could fill CEC slot

Four members of ECP are due to retire next month

ISLAMABAD: The parliamentary committee on electoral reforms has agreed to change eligibility criteria for the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and four members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), allowing senior civil servants and technocrats to hold these offices besides the retired judges of the superior courts.

Sharing details of the proposal, minister for law Zahid Hamid said the sub-committee of the parliamentary committee on electoral reforms had carried out spadework on the constitutional amendments relating to the ECP and shared its report with the main committee.

The proposed constitutional bill, he said, envisages amending articles 211, 213, 215, 217, 218, 219 and 222.

Accordingly, for the appointment of the chief election commissioner, a retired judge of the Supreme Court or a person qualified to be the judge of the Supreme Court, or a senior government servant or a technocrat could be considered.

As for the appointment of the four members of the commission, one member would be taken from each province.  A retired judge of the high court or a person who qualifies to be judge of the high court or a senior government officer or technocrat could be considered for the appointment as member of the election commission.

As a onetime exercise, initially, to secure the institutional memory two members of the commission shall stand retired after two and a half years while the other two would retire after the next two and a half years.

Besides holding elections of the national and provincial assemblies, the ECP would also hold election of local bodies, for which necessary amendments were being proposed.

Zahid Hamid said there was broad agreement on all the proposed amendments. The chair, with the consensus of the house, decided that the committee would meet next Monday and finalise the proposed bill for submission to the National Assembly. In the intervening period, all political parties may firm up their inputs for any changes in the draft amendments.

The incumbent four members of the ECP are due to retire next month after completing their five-year term.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2016.