All set for Cantonment Board polls today

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finalised all the arrangements to hold 42 Cantonment Board elections today (Sunday) across the country, as political parties and independent candidates lock horns for the coveted slots in cities administration.

As many as 1,644 polling stations and 5,080 polling booths have been set up for 219 wards of the 42 cantonments, sources said on Saturday. The ECP – the country’s top electoral authority – has distributed all the election materials.

They added that CCTV cameras have been installed at sensitive polling stations. Apart from the police, rangers’ personnel would be present outside the premises of the polling station.

The ECP has given magisterial powers to the officers in charge of Rangers and FC.

According to the instructions issued by the ECP, the use of mobile phones would be banned inside the polling station during the election process. This rule also applies to the polling agents, however, presiding officers and assisting presiding officers would be exempted from such rules.

Around 1,559 candidates would contest in the 42 Cantonment Boards elections. As many as 2,197,741 voters – including 1,154,551 men and 1,043,190 women – would exercise their right to vote.

The commission has maintained that the polling process, which would start from 8am, would continue till 5pm without any break. “The media can broadcast the unconfirmed and unofficial results one hour after the polling ends,” according to the ECP.

It has also set up a complaint centre in the secretariat for effective monitoring of elections.
It is pertinent to mention that the successful candidate from his ward will become a member of the cantonment board. The newly-elected members will elect the vice president.

Moreover, the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) will deploy 120 “legally accredited, duly-trained and non-partisan observers” to observe the local government elections in 39 Cantonment Boards.

“As many as 74 males and 46 females observers will observe the voting and counting processes at around 460 polling stations – almost 30 per cent of the total polling stations set up by the ECP for these elections,” read a statement. Elections in three Cantonment Boards ie Murree Galis Kalabagh, Kamra and Chirat have been decided unopposed.

“In line with Section 238 of the Elections Act, 2017, FAFEN has trained these observers on election laws, rules and procedures to objectively observe and document the voting and counting processes at their assigned polling stations,” it read.

The ECP has granted accreditation cards to Fafen observers after fulfilling the procedural formalities. Fafen will release its observation report on Wednesday to the media and other stakeholders.