National Voters Day: 15% increase in registered voters in K-P, FATA

Speakers at ceremony optimistic that voter numbers will increase as elections draw near.

PESHAWAR:

Nearly 13.7 million people have registered to vote in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and the tribal areas, resulting in a 15% increase in the number of registered voters since the 2008 elections.

Provincial Election Commissioner SM Tariq Qadri gave the new statistics at a ceremony held to observe National Voters Day on Wednesday. In the previous general polls, 11.9 million people registered their vote in K-P and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Voters’ day is being marked for the first time in the country and aims to increase awareness about the importance of voting in strengthening the democratic process.

Speaking at the event organised by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Qadri said that people will be allowed to register their votes until the election schedule for the province and tribal areas is announced.

He said that the ECP, being an independent body, is working towards ensuring free and fair elections in the country. In a first, the ECP is also working with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to reduce errors in the electoral process, he added.

Qadri said that people can now verify their registration number and constituency via text message. He asked political parties, media, civil society and other stakeholders to cooperate with the ECP and spread awareness about the importance of voting.

The chief guest at the ceremony was former chief secretary Abdullah, who only goes by one name.  He said that over the course of history society has adopted rule by consent as opposed to rule by conquest. “Elected public representatives should utilise their power as a trust and not as a privilege,” he said.

Abdullah said that reformatory change is only possible through the ballot and has been more successful as compared to other means of governance.

Speaking about public participation in the political process, he said that about 58% of eligible voters cast their votes in the 1970 election, but since then the figure has not crossed 50%. In the last elections, voter turnout stood at 46%.

Abdullah was optimistic that the numbers of voters would increase further in the upcoming polls. “The ECP is independent and has a good public image, but this can only be maintained if polls are conducted fairly and freely.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18^th, 2012.