Parliamentary panel ambivalent over use of EVMs for polling
Technical teams of ECP and vendors failed to satisfy committee on maneuver-proof technological solutions for polling
ISLAMABAD:
A parliamentary panel on electoral reforms remained ambivalent with regards to incorporating use of electronic voting machines (EVM) systems in law, as election authorities on Monday failed to satisfy a committee on solutions to deal with possible maneuvering in these machines.
An eight-member sub-committee of the parliamentary panel for electoral reforms received a demo of sample machines from three vendors -- two government organisations and a private manufacturer.
During the in-camera meeting on Monday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) briefed the committee about merits and demerits of the use of EVMs for polling.
The sub-committee was told that there was no mechanism which was 100% fool-proof or that use of EVMs would mitigate chances of poll rigging.
They were told that in Germany and India, where these machines are used, their deployment was not without complaints.
The committee asked the ECP to come up with concrete proposals of all possible solutions since the project will cost the national exchequer billions of rupees. The committee was told that an EVM, with built-in biometric voter verification system, would cost between Rs60,000 and Rs70,000 each with the ECP requiring around 275,000 such machines.
The sub-committee, led by Science and Technology Minister Zahid Hamid and comprising members who were mostly senior politicians and officials with legal backgrounds -- sought solutions to avoid such possible maneuverings. However, the technical teams of the ECP and EVM vendors failed to satisfy the committee who were asked to come up with concrete proposals with maneuver-proof technological solutions.
The panel will meet again on Tuesday and will consider, among other things, changes in the Political Parties Order 2002.
A parliamentary panel on electoral reforms remained ambivalent with regards to incorporating use of electronic voting machines (EVM) systems in law, as election authorities on Monday failed to satisfy a committee on solutions to deal with possible maneuvering in these machines.
An eight-member sub-committee of the parliamentary panel for electoral reforms received a demo of sample machines from three vendors -- two government organisations and a private manufacturer.
During the in-camera meeting on Monday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) briefed the committee about merits and demerits of the use of EVMs for polling.
The sub-committee was told that there was no mechanism which was 100% fool-proof or that use of EVMs would mitigate chances of poll rigging.
They were told that in Germany and India, where these machines are used, their deployment was not without complaints.
The committee asked the ECP to come up with concrete proposals of all possible solutions since the project will cost the national exchequer billions of rupees. The committee was told that an EVM, with built-in biometric voter verification system, would cost between Rs60,000 and Rs70,000 each with the ECP requiring around 275,000 such machines.
The sub-committee, led by Science and Technology Minister Zahid Hamid and comprising members who were mostly senior politicians and officials with legal backgrounds -- sought solutions to avoid such possible maneuverings. However, the technical teams of the ECP and EVM vendors failed to satisfy the committee who were asked to come up with concrete proposals with maneuver-proof technological solutions.
The panel will meet again on Tuesday and will consider, among other things, changes in the Political Parties Order 2002.