The Public Voice Poll expresses deep concerns over recent political developments and the resulting constitutional crisis, identifying numerous constitutional, legal, and operational challenges associated with the prospect of early elections.
While the Supreme Court is tasked with determining the constitutionality of measures leading to the dissolution of the National Assembly, Public Voice Poll emphasizes the need for a prompt decision to avoid collateral issues stemming from the constitutional deadlock. The organization urges political parties to responsibly manage their members to prevent political disagreements from escalating into violence, especially in the lead-up to early elections.
Completion of Election Commission and Delimitations for Early Elections: Public Voice Poll highlights that an early election may encounter obstacles due to various constitutional and legal complexities. The completion of the Election Commission is deemed crucial for the legitimacy of any election, with members from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa yet to be appointed. The constitutional procedure for appointing Commission Members after the National Assembly’s dissolution remains unclear, raising concerns about the legitimacy of the caretaker setup under Article 213 (2B).
The legal status of the current delimitation of National and Provincial Assembly seats, based on provisional 2017 census results, is also a concern. The 25th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2017 allows a one-time exception to delimitations for GE-2018. However, a fresh delimitation based on the last preceding officially published census is essential for future elections’ legality, posing a challenge given the time constraints outlined in the Elections Act, 2017.
Early Elections: Implementation of EVMs & Overseas Voting: Confusion surrounds recent amendments to the Elections Act, 2017, concerning Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and facilitating overseas Pakistanis’ voting. Public Voice Poll emphasizes the need for electoral reforms through political consensus, expressing concern about majoritarian changes leading to challenges in election legitimacy and political stability. Representation for overseas Pakistanis, as committed by all political parties in their election manifestoes, remains a crucial issue.
Under-registration of women voters is another significant challenge. Despite successful efforts by the Election Commission to address the rising gender gap, 11.37 million unregistered women voters remain. If elections are called within three months, the electoral rolls will be frozen, disenfranchising millions of women voters. The Election Commission’s efforts to maximize voter registration may face challenges given the scale of the gender gap.
Operational and Logistical Preparation: Operational and logistical preparation by the Election Commission for early elections involves recruiting and training around one million polling staff, printing and transporting election materials, and selecting locations for over 10,000 polling stations. Ensuring the quality of these critical electoral processes is vital for the election’s integrity.
Public Voice Poll emphasizes the importance of the democratic process as the primary means of resolving political disputes. Efforts to address election system-related issues must have a broader political consensus to avoid post-election instability. Protecting the integrity of future elections is crucial for strengthening democracy and ensuring the stability of political institutions, essential for the country’s social and economic development.
