Electioneering: All parties except PTI want bar on lawmakers

ISLAMABAD: Barring the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, all the political parties want key public office-holders should not be allowed to participate in the election campaign.

This emerged here at a consultative session organised at the Election Commission of Pakistan Secretariat and all the political parties minus PTI opposed the amendments to the code of conduct for election through an ordinance.

The session was presided over by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja while representatives of 17 political parties attended it: Prominent among those were PTI’s State Minister for Information Farrukh Habib, PPP’s Senator Taj Haider and ex-senator Farhatullah Babar and PML-N’s Zahid Hamid and Ahsan Iqbal.

The objective of the session was to further improve the draft code of conduct for next general election to be held in 2023 by seeking views of political parties on an amendment to Section 181-A of the Elections Act through a recently promulgated ordinance.

Through this amendment, the government wants the public office-holders and officers to participate in election campaign. However, some smaller political parties suggested that ordinary members of the legislatures be allowed to take part in electioneering but representatives of majority of political parties present at the consultative session opposed the ordinance.

As the Election Commission of Pakistan had already written to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs for a review of the amendment, leading political parties also contended that under Section 233 of the Elections Act the code of conduct act was required to be framed by the ECP in consultation with the political parties and that the government had no legal mandate to amend it through an ordinance.

However, contrary to this, the PTI representatives argued the Election Commission should regulate the code of conduct keeping in view the ordinance, saying the freedom of movement guaranteed under the Constitution could not be taken away.

But most of the political parties agreed that the lawmakers should not be allowed to visit areas where elections are to take place after announcement of election schedule and they also contended there should be a complete ban on other public office-holders, including President, Prime Minister, Governors, Chief Ministers, Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Senate, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and members of the federal and provincial cabinets.

They warned that the controversial ordinance would be a hurdle to the way of free and fair elections. Significantly, the Chief Election Commissioner also reportedly said that the ECP had already conveyed its concern about the ordinance to the Attorney General.

He said the government had also been told that the ordinance was in conflict with some provisions of the Constitution and the elections act through a letter written to the Ministry of Parliamentary affairs. He also referred to the majority’s views on the ordinance and said a decision on viability of the ordinance would shortly be taken by the commission at a meeting.

Meanwhile, the CEC said that the Election Commission of Pakistan was committed to taking steps for having an effective participatory role of women, minorities, persons with disabilities and transgender in the country’s electoral process.

He was addressing a ceremony held at the ECP Secretariat to mark the International Women’s Day. He said that no nation could progress in any field of life without the active participation of women.

“The day signifies the importance of women’s role in society for a social, economic and political evolution. No nation can move forward until having equivalent participation of women along with men,” he said.

The CEC acknowledged the fact that women had an active and courageous role in the electoral process in the country as voters, security personnel, polling agents, observers, election staff members, political workers and journalists. He noted with appreciation that they face all the hardships with courage to strengthen the democratic process.

Under Article 218(3) of the Constitution, he said the ECP was responsible to hold independent, free, fair, transparent, and impartial elections in the country. He said under Article 25(2), it was also the responsibility of the ECP to ensure participation of all segments of society in the electoral process without any fear or threat and on an equal basis.

He held out an assurance to the audience that the commission would continue working on its mission effectively and play its constitutional and legal role in an appropriate manner. He said that the ECP in coordination with the stakeholders had arranged consultative activities at the national and provincial levels with an objective to get valuable suggestions for further strengthening the role of minorities, persons with disabilities, transgender and the women in the election process.

Raja Sikandar Sultan was hopeful that all such recommendations from these events, particularly from participants, civil society, women and departments concerned, would be of great worth for the ECP to further focus its working on the areas.

ECP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan presented the welcome address. German Ambassador to Pakistan Bernard Schlagheck was also present.