A CEC finally

The agreement was a bit surprising as it came just a day after Shehbaz sent an amended list of opposition nominees

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) might finally have a new boss. Several months of negotiations between the ruling PTI and major opposition parties led to the nomination of Sikandar Sultan Raja as chief election commissioner, according to Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari. It took over a dozen meetings for a parliamentary committee to evolve a consensus on the name. The minister says that the parliamentary panel has also agreed on appointments for two vacant seats of ECP members. Nisar Durrani and Shah Mohammad Jatoi will be the members from Sindh and Balochistan, respectively. After approval from Prime Minister Imran Khan, the appointments will formally be notified.

On an unrelated but heartening note, Mazari took some time to praise opposition parties for working with the government to ensure there was consensus on all the names. “Parliamentary matters should be decided by parliament,” she said, adding, “We should aim to work in this manner in the future.” Opposition leaders, including Rana Sanaullah of the PML-N and former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf of the PPP, espoused confidence in the honesty and competence of the nominated ECP chief, although Sanaullah did take a thinly-veiled jab at the ruling party by expressing hope that the next elections are free and fair.

The long-delayed process came because of a rule change under the 18^th Amendment. According to the amendment, the prime minister and the opposition leader must unanimously name a chief election commissioner. In case of disagreement, the matter goes to a parliamentary committee with equal representation from the ruling party and the opposition, which must come up with three names each and then decide on one. The agreement was also a bit surprising as it came just a day after Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif sent an amended list of opposition nominees to the government. Also notable is the fact that for the first time in a while, retired judges did not get the top job, or even dominate the lists of nominees. All three of the PTI’s nominees were former bureaucrats, including Raja, who retired as Railways secretary last year.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2020.

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