‘PTI’s constitution stipulates most ambitiously complex intra-party election mechanism’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI)’s constitution stipulates the most ambitiously complex intra-party election mechanism while other parties follow an opaque easier to manipulate system that allows smooth adherence to the dictates of the party leader.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) does not have any clearly set out rules for all political parties to follow in holding intra-party elections, but, instead, Section 209(1) of Elections Act 2017, provides that a political party shall, within seven days from completion of the intra-party elections, submit a certificate signed by an office-bearer authorised by the party head, to the Commission to the effect that the elections were held in accordance with the constitution of the political party and this Act to elect the office-bearers at the federal, provincial and local levels, wherever applicable.

If a political party does not meet these requirements, then it would be ineligible to obtain electoral symbol under Section 215(4) and Section 215(5) of the Elections Act 2017.

Speaking to Business Recorder, former secretary ECP Kanwar Dilshad agreed that existing laws need to be changed to bring uniformity and allow the ECP to determine the authenticity of intra-party elections.

“Presently, all a political party needs to do is submit the intra-party election certificate to ECP affirming that it has conducted intra-party elections. This is just a ceremonial requirement. The ECP has no authority to determine by itself if these elections are genuine. The ECP can take action against foul play only if an intra-party election is challenged by anyone. This needs to change,” the ex-secretary said.

Dilshad suggested that an amendment be brought in the Elections Act 2017 to allow the ECP appoint its observers to monitor the intra-party elections of all the political parties and decide accordingly. “This practice is in place in India. Indian Election Commission appoints an observer for every intra-party election.

That observer decides the fate of an intra-party poll. I witnessed this practice first-hand, back in the year 2010, during my visit to India’s Rohtak district in Haryana state, when I was the Secretary ECP,” he said.

Over the last two days, Business Recorder spoke to at least six senior leaders of mainstream political parties including PTI, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) and Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q). None of these leaders had adequate knowledge of their party’s respective constitutions according to which the intra-party polls are held.

A PTI senator, however, admitted that PTI’s intra-party elections procedure is excessively lengthy, which, according to the lawmaker, allowed the ECP “to take advantage of procedural anomalies” and nullify the intra-party poll results.

Another PTI leader believed otherwise: “It doesn’t matter whether our party polls process is complex or easy. The thing that matters is that powerful quarters decided that PTI would not get its electoral symbol for general elections and that was it.

Anomalies in intra-party elections were just an excuse. In the past, we held the intra-party elections and the ECP duly accepted them. Nothing was different this time as far as our procedures were concerned but everything was different in terms of our relationship with the power centres.”

In case of the PTI intra-party polls, the matter lingered since June 2022 when the PTI held its intra-party elections and the ECP refused to accept these polls raising procedural objections.

The PTI petitioned ECP against its decision but the poll body again nullified the PTI intra-party elections in November last year. In December, the PTI again held its intra-party polls that were rejected for the third time by the poll body.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024