Political parties and media must mobilise people to more than 55,000 Display Centres set up by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) as a prerequisite for improving quality of voter lists being finalised for the next general elections.
Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) stated in press release issued here on Thursday that the Display Period of Preliminary Electoral Rolls 2012 that began on February 29 and will end on March 20, 2012 provides people with an opportunity to verify that they are registered in electoral areas where they are residing and want to vote.
It added that a legal requirement under the electoral rolls Act 1974, the display period enables people to file claims at these display centres for addition of their names, corrections to their credentials on the rolls and objections to the entry of voters who they deem are ineligible or not residing in that electoral area.
While ECP has set up 55,000 Display Centres across Pakistan and appointed Display Center Information Officers (DCIOs) for facilitation of people at these centres, there has been a lackluster public response to this critical step to the preparation of accurate electoral rolls.
A higher public turnout is possible only when political parties mobilise their local chapters and structures to encourage people to visit these centres for verification of their voting status. A greater public turnout will also inculcate more efficiency in the functioning of these centres. A message on the ECP 8300 Helpline enables people to know their voter registration status and electoral areas generated against their Computerised National Identity Card Number, but it does not provide sufficient information about their detailed credentials such as names and other relevant details.
People not visiting these centres lose an opportunity to point out objectionable voters who may be registered but are not residents of that area. In addition, citizens cannot discharge their democratic responsibilities in true spirit only through electronic means.
FAFEN has been observing the Display Period under permission from ECP and has deployed 2,000 neutral and trained observers for observation of the Display Centres and facilitation of visiting people in about 1,200 union councils of 107 districts in four provinces and seven tribal agencies. A sophisticated reporting system has been instituted, enabling FAFEN to report promptly to ECP authorities any issues that has been observed with regard to the functioning of the Display Centres for remedial actions.
Since February 29, 2012, FAFEN has reported more than 3,804 complaints to the ECP for corrective measures. Of these, 1,815 complaints pertained to the Display Centres found closed, 1,054 of Display Centres closing earlier than stipulated time of 5:00 pm, 436 of Display Center in-charge not present to facilitate voters, 207 of voters lists of one or more electoral areas not available at Display Centres, 80 of FAFEN observers and staff being barred from observing the Display Centres and 68 of claim forms IV, V and VI not available at the Display Centres.
The highest number of closed display centres was found in Quetta, Swat, Karachi East, Karachi West, Sahiwal, Okara, Narowal, Lahore, Muzafargarh and Khanewal districts. There have been four instances of people being stopped from scrutinising voter lists in Karachi, Muzaffargarh and Lahore districts. However, ECP officials have taken swift actions to ensure that all designated Display Centres are open and facilitating public. While ECP is making impressive efforts to improve the quality of elections, its weaker writ on seconded officials drawn from federal and provincial departments and deployed for election duties leads to serious issues only to compromise the credibility of various election processes including the ongoing display of voter lists.
Resultantly, the various electoral processes do not meet the standards of fairness and transparency as are being contemplated by the ECP. As long as the commitment within the ECP to improve the electoral processes is not shared by the officials implementing it, a positive change may not occur to the desired extent. FAFEN strongly recommends critical legal reforms ahead of the upcoming general elections to provide ECP the straight jacketed powers on all aspects of the election process as essential to improve the conduct of election. Such measures will also enhance the ECP's authority to check the influence of government and its officials during the pre-election process.
As many as seven measures included; establishing in election law that the ECP will have authority to appoint District Returning officers and Returning Officers from among all citizens unlike the existing legal requirements of such appointments to be made from among officers of agencies and corporations of federal and provincial governments, to establishing in election law that the ECP will have full authority over seconded staff to direct, sanction and remove such staff while conducting elections on its behalf, to establishing in election law that government entities will not become involved in electoral processes without specific direction from the ECP, to establishing in election law the suspension of any public functionary, who during an election, fails to comply with then directives of the ECP, despite notice, to establishing in election law that Presiding Officers will have full authority over police and security forces in enforcing rules at polling stations, to establishing in election law that the Election Commission have final approval over rules and regulations on the conduct of elections and to establishing in election law that the ECP will have authority to alter its organisational structure and to manage its budget, giving authority to approve that budget, maintain accounts, create costs and authorise supplementary grants.
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