The devil is in the detail: Minister spells out rules for impending LG polls
Reiterates govt machinery, law enforcement personnel will not be allowed to interfere.
“Candidates for village and neighbourhood council can spend up to Rs50,000 while district and town candidates can spend Rs200,000,” Minister of local government and rural development, Inayatuallah Khan. PHOTO: FILE
PESHAWAR:
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) local government (LG) department has spelt out rules for the upcoming LG elections; rules aimed at holding the polls in a “free and fair environment”.
Minster for Local Government, Elections and Rural Development Inayatullah Khan told The Express Tribune on Monday that delimitation in the province is expected to be completed by January 15, 2014. The district government completed delimitation of Peshawar’s union and village councils earlier in December.
Cross your Ts, dot your Is
Recommendations have been made to relevant departments and their officials to cooperate with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), shared the minister.
Inayatullah explained the K-P government has proposed rules and regulations for candidates contesting polls. “Candidates for village and neighbourhood council can spend up to Rs50,000 while district and town candidates can spend Rs200,000,” he said while referring to the bar on spending for election campaigns.
According to the K-P government’s LG regulations, “it’s necessary that candidates contesting on the union council level have not defaulted more than Rs2,000 in utility dues, including Wapda and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, at the time of submitting their nomination papers.”
The proposed rules further reveal that government machinery and political parties will not be allowed to influence the election staff.
“The ECP will have the power to dismiss those government employees, including officials of law enforcement agencies, who are found harassing or blackmailing ECP staff,” the minister added.
He said the ECP will appoint district returning officers (DROs), and returning officers (ROs) for town, neighbourhood and village councils. Appointment of staff for the polling stations will be conducted by ROs, and the list of details will be later sent by them to DROs for approval.
Responding to a query, the minister said elections will be held simultaneously across the province. However, if there are some unexpected reasons for not organising elections in some parts of the province – those will be held later. Interestingly, if a contest between two candidates is drawn, the RO will decide the contest on a coin toss.
“For reserved seats, political parties will give names for various seats at the initial stage,” Inayatullah added.
The proposer and seconder of a candidate can only be from his or her constituency. The proposer and seconder will need to submit an affidavit proving his/her families have not defaulted Rs50,000 or more in any financial transaction with banks. Their families should not have been bankrupt in the previous 12 months.
Similarly, district and town candidates will pay a fee of Rs3,000 with their nomination papers. Village and neighbourhood council candidates will pay Rs1,000.
A colour for you and a colour for me
According to Inayatullah, white ballot papers will be specified for general seats at the village and neighbourhood council levels, pink for seats contested by women, light green for labourers, brown for non-Muslims, and yellow for seats contested by the youth.
Similarly, light grey ballot papers will be used for general seats at the tehsil and town levels, orange for general seats at the district level.
Symbols will be allotted to candidates for district and town polls when they prove their political affiliation during submission of their nomination papers.
The ECP has allotted 56 more election symbols apart from 149 already given, including bananas, crocodile, duck, a purse, toothbrush, melon, and a turtle.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2013.
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) local government (LG) department has spelt out rules for the upcoming LG elections; rules aimed at holding the polls in a “free and fair environment”.
Minster for Local Government, Elections and Rural Development Inayatullah Khan told The Express Tribune on Monday that delimitation in the province is expected to be completed by January 15, 2014. The district government completed delimitation of Peshawar’s union and village councils earlier in December.
Cross your Ts, dot your Is
Recommendations have been made to relevant departments and their officials to cooperate with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), shared the minister.
Inayatullah explained the K-P government has proposed rules and regulations for candidates contesting polls. “Candidates for village and neighbourhood council can spend up to Rs50,000 while district and town candidates can spend Rs200,000,” he said while referring to the bar on spending for election campaigns.
According to the K-P government’s LG regulations, “it’s necessary that candidates contesting on the union council level have not defaulted more than Rs2,000 in utility dues, including Wapda and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, at the time of submitting their nomination papers.”
The proposed rules further reveal that government machinery and political parties will not be allowed to influence the election staff.
“The ECP will have the power to dismiss those government employees, including officials of law enforcement agencies, who are found harassing or blackmailing ECP staff,” the minister added.
He said the ECP will appoint district returning officers (DROs), and returning officers (ROs) for town, neighbourhood and village councils. Appointment of staff for the polling stations will be conducted by ROs, and the list of details will be later sent by them to DROs for approval.
Responding to a query, the minister said elections will be held simultaneously across the province. However, if there are some unexpected reasons for not organising elections in some parts of the province – those will be held later. Interestingly, if a contest between two candidates is drawn, the RO will decide the contest on a coin toss.
“For reserved seats, political parties will give names for various seats at the initial stage,” Inayatullah added.
The proposer and seconder of a candidate can only be from his or her constituency. The proposer and seconder will need to submit an affidavit proving his/her families have not defaulted Rs50,000 or more in any financial transaction with banks. Their families should not have been bankrupt in the previous 12 months.
Similarly, district and town candidates will pay a fee of Rs3,000 with their nomination papers. Village and neighbourhood council candidates will pay Rs1,000.
A colour for you and a colour for me
According to Inayatullah, white ballot papers will be specified for general seats at the village and neighbourhood council levels, pink for seats contested by women, light green for labourers, brown for non-Muslims, and yellow for seats contested by the youth.
Similarly, light grey ballot papers will be used for general seats at the tehsil and town levels, orange for general seats at the district level.
Symbols will be allotted to candidates for district and town polls when they prove their political affiliation during submission of their nomination papers.
The ECP has allotted 56 more election symbols apart from 149 already given, including bananas, crocodile, duck, a purse, toothbrush, melon, and a turtle.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2013.