Senate elections on March 2, Aitzaz in the running

Four seats for minorities have been added to the upper house.

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced on Thursday that Senate elections will be held on March 2 – rubbishing speculation in some sections of the press that the polls would be held in mid- February.

Among those gunning for a seat in the upper house is Pakistan Peoples Party stalwart Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan.

Aitzaz is one of 457 old and new applicants seeking a party ticket from the PPP, a party official told The Express Tribune.

Aitzaz had distanced himself from the party until a recent public appearance with President Asif Ali Zardari. His return to the centre of the PPP has taken another step now that he has submitted an application. However, Senator Safdar Ali Abbasi, a confidant of former PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto, will not apply to stay on in the Senate. Farahatullah Babar, spokesperson to the president, is also among those who have applied. Babar had been denied a party ticket during the last Senate elections.

The election schedule was announced exactly two months before half of the 100-member Senate will retire on March 12, after completing their tenure. February 13 and 14 have been set as the dates for candidates to file their papers to contest the elections.

Following the 18th Constitutional Amendment, four seats for minorities – one from each province – have been added to the Senate, thus increasing the total number in the upper house to 104.

Although ten seats are reserved in the National Assembly for minority members, there is currently no representation for minorities in Senate. In August last year, President Zardari signed an amendment to the Senate (Election) Rules 1975.

Polls will be held on seven general, two technocrat, two women and one non-Muslim seat from each province, four from Fata, and one general and one technocrat seat from Islamabad.

The announcement of the schedule almost one and half months before the polls appears to be an effort to bring some certainty to the already fragile political atmosphere.

According to an official within the Senate Secretariat, who asked not to be identified, most senators retiring in March belong to the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid. Twenty of the party’s 21 members will complete their term.

Among other parties, the official said, five of the PPP’s 27 members, seven of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl’s 10, one of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s seven, one of Awami National Party’s six and three of Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s six will retire.

One senator from the Balochistan National Party-Awami’s three and one from the National Party’s two will also retire. All three senators from Jamaat-e-Islami, one each from Jamhoori Watan Party, PML-Functional, PPP-Sherpao and Pakhtunkhwa Awami Milli Party will also finish their term. Finally, four of Fata’s eight senators will retire.

The provincial assemblies constitute the electoral college for the upper house of parliament – and the polls under the current scenario are likely to give the PPP a heavy majority in the Senate for the first time in the country’s history. There are indications that the PPP may have more than 40 members in the upper house, giving them an unprecedented edge in Senate.

The PML-N, on the other hand, is unhappy at the prospect of the ruling party scoring a major win – the main reason being such a result will increase the chances of President Zardari’s re-election.

PPP, PML-N prepare for polls

A PPP official said that 179 people have applied from Punjab, 100 from Sindh, 58 from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, over 50 from Balochistan, 15 from FATA, 40 from the federal capital and some 15 overseas Pakistanis have applied for a party ticket.

He added that Senator Raza Rabbani, former law minister Babar Awan, finance minister Abdul Hafeez Shiekh have also submitted their applications. Amir Fida Paracha and Naseerullah Babar are among those who entering the race for the first time.

Meanwhile, the PML-N has also invited applications from party workers up to January 25.

Voting formula and schedule

The Senate elections in each province shall be held in accordance with the system of proportional representation, by means of the single transferable vote. It is the responsibility of the chief election commissioner to hold and make measures for the Senate elections in accordance with the system through electoral colleges.

A public notice by returning officers inviting nomination papers will be displayed by the 11th of February. The process of filing of nomination papers by the candidates with the returning officers will be completed within two days from February 13 to 14. Scrutiny of the nomination papers will take place in the ECP from February 16 to 17. Dates for the filing of appeals against the rejection of nominations with the Secretary Election Commission are February 20 to 21. The given date for the disposal of appeals by the Election Commission is set as February 22 and 23. February 24 has been set as the final date for both the withdrawal of applications for nominations by the candidates and for the publication of the finalised list of contesting candidates by the ECP. (With additional input from APP)

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2012.