Balochistan LG polls remained controversy-free: Fafen

ISLAMABAD: Balochistan completed the first phase of local government (LG) polls to elect over 6,000 general councillors in an election that remained controversy-free followed by prompt acceptance of the results by all major political parties, according to a Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) observation report.

The report found that sporadic illegalities and irregularities persisted and low women contestation warranted urgent attention by political parties. It said such an acceptance augured well for democracy and development in the province where the integrity of electoral exercises had previously been questioned. Despite sporadic illegalities and irregularities, the elections remained largely peaceful, orderly and better-managed.

Campaigning and canvassing around polling stations, non-provision of copies of result forms to polling agents, inconsistent compliance with the legal provision to permit voters present inside the polling station after 5:00pm to cast their vote and issues of secrecy of voters remained some of major areas that needed to be stringently enforced, the report said, adding that Fafen observers reported a large number of voters turning out to vote on the election day. Although the majority of polling stations (65 per cent) were categorized as sensitive or most-sensitive security-wise, the election day remained largely peaceful with scattered incidents of violence reported in 23 districts. The election day followed a highly competitive campaign with political parties and independent candidates freely canvassing in a largely peaceful environment. As many as 17,774 candidates 17,642 male and 132 female were in the run for general seats fielded by 17 political parties in 6,259 wards (5,345 rural and 914 urban wards) in municipal corporations, municipal committees and union councils.

The ECP had set up a total of 6,237 polling stations – 671 male, 652 female and 4,914 combined. These polling stations had a total of 13,533 polling booths including 6,867 for men and 6,307 for women to facilitate 3,614,724 voters – 2,043,828 male and 1,570,896 female.

Following the May 29 elections of representatives on general seats, the ECP is now due to hold indirect elections for the seats reserved for women, peasants or workers, and religious minorities, and elections for chairmen and vice chairmen of local councils. Moreover, the ECP has yet to announce schedule for general seats elections in two major districts with sizeable urban population in the province, i.e. Quetta and Lasbela, which were earlier withheld because of issues with the delimitation of wards.

After the expiry of LGs in Balochistan on January 27, 2019, it took over three years for the ECP to conduct LG elections as these continued to face delay on one pretext or the other by the provincial government. Lack of consensus among political parties over amendments to the Balochistan LG Act (BLGA) 2010 and delimitation of constituencies remained the primary hurdles before the conduct of election.

The provincal govt and Balochistan Assembly in February 2019 and April 2022 recommended postponement of LG polls to the Election Commission of Pakistan. However, ECP announced the date for elections. Scattered incidents of localized violence in 23 districts partially disrupted the polling process on the election day. Fafen observers reported 63 incidents of violence inside or around 53 polling stations.

The women participation as candidates remained a cause of serious concern as only 132 women (less than one per cent) contested the polls in Balochistan.