Call for broad constitutional reforms

Fafen urges inclusive political dialogue on constitutional bill

ISLAMABAD:

The Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) called on Sunday for transparent and inclusive political dialogue on the proposed constitutional reforms to strengthen parliamentary supremacy as a prerequisite for democratic consolidation in Pakistan.

According to a press release, Fafen stressed the need for a holistic approach to these reforms to build broader political consensus, even if the ruling parties could get the required support of a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament for the proposed amendments.

Fafen proposed negotiations on expanding the reforms to cover key areas, including a pronounced parliamentary control over international agreements; refined appointment processes for constitutional offices; caretaker governments; changes to election law; local governments; and others.

Currently, the executive independently decided to enter into or exit from international and bilateral agreements such as those with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which had far-reaching impacts on fiscal policy and measures, Fafen said. "Fafen is of the considered view that the future generation of constitutional reforms should include formal parliamentary approval for any agreements with foreign governments or multilateral organisations before their official signing," it added.

It pointed out that the appointment process for constitutional offices such as heads of the judiciary, armed forces, and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) currently lacked public scrutiny that could be provided through parliamentary hearings.

To avoid controversies such as the one involving discounting of votes of a candidate in the election of the Senate Chairman in 2021, Fafen proposed empowering the ECP to oversee elections for all constitutional offices including that of prime minister, speakers, senate chairperson and others.

Currently, Fafen said, the Constitution allowed independent candidates to join any political party after winning an election, which amounts to a disregard for the voters' choice to elect a candidate from outside parties.

Fafen recommended that if an independent candidate decided to join a political party after winning a constituency, the candidate should seek a fresh mandate from the voters in the constituency through a bye-election.

Additionally, it added, the election process for the seats reserved for women and minorities also suffered representativeness challenges. It recommended allocating women seats based on administrative divisions, ensuring fair geographical representation in national and provincial assemblies.

Similarly, the election process for seats reserved for religious minorities also requires reforms, as their quota in the assemblies had not been reviewed by parliament in years. Additionally, a significant population belonging to certain faiths remained unrepresented.