Eternally vacant

Given that ECP is the fount from which all things electoral flow, it is obvious that an early resolution is required

There are some jobs in Pakistan that appear impossible to fill, and there are equally some jobs that nobody seems keen to put themselves forward for either. One such is the permanent head of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The post fell vacant the day after the election in 2013 and has been held by a selection of temporary and stop-gap post-holders ever since. The matter has now gone down to the wire and the Chief Justice of Pakistan has withdrawn an apex Court judge, who had been acting as an interim election commissioner, with effect from December 5. The government has been told to name a permanent head of the ECP before December 5 — and on current form, that does not look likely.



There is a cross-party consultation process attached to the making of the appointment, which theoretically allows the development of cross-party consensus relative to one of the most sensitive posts in the country. The post itself has become ‘sensitive’ as the opposition parties have accused the government of rigging the last election, and failing to conduct it in an impartial manner. Finding a potential chief election commissioner, who has the trust of all sides and comes without taint or accusation of corruption is extremely difficult, given the polarities that now dominate political life, where give and take is long dead.

The apex Court is clearly exasperated with the political to-and-fro that is getting in the way of the appointment and is now considering issuing notices to the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, ordering that they be asked to explain themselves. The politicians bleat that the dissent of one of their number has once again stymied the process, as one of the possible nominees for the post also decided that he wanted none of it either, and chose not to accept the possibly-poisoned chalice.

Given that the ECP is the fount from which all things electoral flow, it is obvious that an early resolution is required. The country cannot limp along in this manner any longer and the politicians of all hues need to stop dilly-dallying to the benefit of nobody.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 26^th, 2014.

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