Last-minute snags delay electoral reforms proposals

ISLAMABAD:

The Electoral Reforms Committee of parliament on Monday hit unexpected snags after some political parties brought forth new suggestions during a meeting, delaying its final recommendations.

The committee, tasked with proposing crucial amendments to the Elections Act, 2017, met here to finalise its recommendations.

However, the last-minute developments forced the participants to extend their deliberations.

At present, the country is preparing for the upcoming general elections. The National Assembly and the remaining two provincial assemblies are set to complete their five-year term in August.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had announced recently that the government intended to exit before completing its full term, paving the way for the dissolution of assemblies.

As per the Constitution, as soon as the assembly completes its term, election would be held 60 days after its dissolution. However, an early dissolution – even by a single day – allows elections within 90 days.

As the political landscape braces itself for the transition, the parties are actively engaged in the proposed amendments to the elections act, seeking to shape the electoral framework in line with their respective agendas.

During Monday’s meeting, sources said, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) expressed serious reservations regarding the constituencies in Karachi, calling for their revamping to avoid potential conflicts.

The sources also said that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) voiced concerns over the Result Transmission System (RTS) and the delays in announcing election results, advocating for improvements in the system’s functionality.

Additionally, they added, the PPP stressed the importance of holding returning officers accountable for any delays in the announcement of results, while further underscoring the need for electoral reforms.

In light of the last-minute amendments and reservations, the sources maintained, the law ministry advised the parties in the coalition government to complete the legislation process until July 28.

“The committee chairman directed the ministry to expedite the finalisation of the elections act amendment draft by tomorrow (Tuesday), while considering the latest suggestions and reservations of the political parties,” a source said.

The proposed amendments encompass a range of critical areas, including the installation of surveillance cameras in polling booths to enhance transparency, campaign financing transparency, foreign funding regulations, and facilitation of voting by overseas Pakistanis.

These reforms aim at strengthening the democratic process and create a level-playing field for all candidates. For that, the committee has held a series of in-camera deliberations on roughly 70 proposed amendments to the elections act.

Apart from a proposal to add “accounts receivable” in the assets of candidate or a member, the proposals put forth by various political parties include the issues of delay in the announcement of election results, sending the matter of banning a political party to parliament, and several others matters.

It has already been reported that the committee has dropped the proposal to make parliament as the supreme authority on matters about ceasing a political party or the membership of a member of the party.

Last week, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar had confirmed the dropping of the proposal, saying that the committee had completed 99% of its work and that the remaining 1% issues were not politically contentious.

However, the remaining 1% couldn’t be finalised on Monday and the committee is set to meet on Tuesday (today) again to reach a consensus before tabling the its recommendations to parliament.