Syed Ali Shah :
Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), a non-governmental organization, a network, which monitors elections in Pakistan termed recently held local government elections as controversy-free and comparatively peaceful. Despite threats and intimidation, the provincial government successfully elections on 6,259 wards in 32 districts of the province. The elections were held after a period of nine years under the directives of the election commission of Pakistan.
Balochistan completed the first phase of the local government (LG) polls to elect over 6,000 general councilors in an election that remained controversy-free followed by prompt acceptance of the results by all major political parties, Nasrullah Bareech, the FAFEN Balochistan Chief said on Friday evening.
The organization in its comprehensive report has mentioned that the acceptance of results sounds well for democracy and development in the province, where the integrity of electoral exercises was previously questioned. Despite sporadic illegalities and irregularities, the elections remained largely peaceful, orderly, and better-managed, Mr. Bareech mentioned.
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Only 132 women councilors contested the elections
FAFEN has however expressed concern over the lack of women’s participation in the polls conducted for 6,259 seats of councilors in Balochistan. Only 132 women councilors contested the elections, Hameedullah Kakar informed.
Although the majority of polling stations (65 percent) were categorized as sensitive or most-sensitive security-wise, the election day remained largely peaceful with scattered incidents of local violence reported in 23 districts. At the same time, the Network observed that the presiding officers failed to give result forms at 30 percent of polling stations. Secrecy of votes was not maintained in 15 percent of polling stations, it mentioned.
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Voters were not allowed to cast their votes after 5 pm
FAFEN noted that voters were not allowed to cast their votes in support of their respective candidates after 5 pm.
Following the May 29 elections of representatives on general seats, ECP is now due to hold indirect elections for the seats reserved for women, peasants or workers, and religious minorities, and the elections for Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of the local councils. Moreover, the ECP has yet to announce the schedule for general seat elections in two major districts with a 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 ECP to conduct LG elections as these continued to face delays 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 the election.
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Balochistan Assembly had asked the ECP through the passage of resolutions to postpone the polls
The Balochistan Assembly in February 2019 and April 2022 recommended to the Election Commission through resolutions postponement of the LG polls due to impending amendments to the BLGA and subsequent delimitations. The provincial government had also petitioned the Election Commission to withhold the elections to allow the introduction of necessary amendments to the BLGA, 2010. However, a three-member bench of the ECP rejected the petition on April 14, 2022, and announced the date for election day.
Scattered incidents of localized violence in 23 districts partially disrupted the polling processes on election day. FAFEN observers reported 63 incidents of violence inside or around 53 polling stations.
