Devil Soul
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Elections better organised than in 2008: EU
IKRAM JUNAIDI
ISLAMABAD: The European Union Observer Mission ruled out on Wednesday suspicion about rigging in the elections and involvement of intelligence agencies in the process. It described this year’s elections as better organised than the 2008 polls.
The mission’s chief, Michael Gahler, released its final report on the May 11 elections at a news conference and said the EU observers had monitored 184 constituencies of the National Assembly. It made 50 recommendations for electoral reforms. He said some institutions had crossed limits in discharge of their duty and the PML-N had been given more coverage than other parties during the election campaign.
“Now is the time for the new parliament, the Election Commission and other stakeholders to demonstrate their commitment to democratic Pakistan. Legislation can be further improved and every by-election and local government election offers an opportunity for implementing improved practices,” Mr Gahler said.
Seven of the 50 recommendations relate to constitutional changes and 17 to primary legislation. The report suggests formation of a special parliamentary committee on elections to review related legislation within the framework of international law commitments such as candidacy criteria, transparency requirements and mechanisms for an effective remedy.
The Election Commission (ECP) should take full responsibility for the administration of elections, including through management control of the work of returning officers, and fully implement its five-year strategic plan using the opportunity of any upcoming by-election and local bodies election to implement improved practices, the team stressed.
The ECP should develop a clear regulatory framework covering all aspects of election, including management, observation and scrutiny, and addressing complaints. It should review and develop procedures to increase checks on the polling and results process and improve the quality of completed result forms.
The report wants the ECP to introduce strong transparency measures and make all notifications, decisions and election-related information public. The polling results should be immediately placed on the ECP website.
It recommends that the legal framework for the media be revised so that it could fully support editorial independence and eliminate opportunities for censorship. The code of conduct for the media should be enforced so that equitable opportunities are given to candidates and parties by the state and private media.
The report calls for further measures to promote the participation of women in the electoral process such as provision of computerised national identity cards, requirement for the parties to make public their policies on women and information about their participation in intra-party elections and their greater coverage in the state media. Action should be taken against agreements barring women from casting their votes.
The report calls for abolition of the separate list for Ahmadi voters.
Elections better organised than in 2008: EU - DAWN.COM
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EU mission ‘finds’ vast poll breaches in Sindh
July 11, 2013 Maqbool Malik
ISLAMABAD - The EU observers’ mission on Wednesday said that nine percent polling stations were poorly managed while 30 percent polling stations in Sindh, especially port city of Karachi, saw irregularities in the polling process during 2013 general elections.
Issuing a report of European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) for Pakistan, two months after the polls, Chief Observer of the Mission and Member EU Parliament Michael Gahler reiterated that the elections in Pakistan registered 55 percent voter turnout.
The report contains 50 recommendations on improving the polling process and ensuring transparency. Speaking here at a local hotel, Mr Gahler said the mission observed less than required transparency in vote counting at some polling stations and inordinate delays in publication of elections results.
The EU mission head said that almost nine percent polling stations were poorly managed, adding that a number of polling stations saw irregularities. At some polling stations more votes were cast than the enrolled while some polling stations were changed before voting day.
However, he dismissed notions that Pakistan's intelligence agencies had any interference in the election process, saying there was no evidence regarding their involvement. He hoped the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would take appropriate steps to avoid such situation in future.
Asked whether the EU mission was satisfied with the autonomy of the election commission, he said it had autonomy but lacked capacity, adding that some state institutions including the judiciary acted beyond their constitutional role. He stresses the need of political will and need of implementations of their recommendations for the improvement of the election process in Pakistan.
Answering a question about self-exiled Altaf Hussain, he said that British government could take action against the MQM chief over his alleged threatening statements to media as well as his political opponents. “Altaf Hussain is currently residing in Britain and the Britain government can decide any action against him", he said.
To another question, he said it was the responsibility of ECP and government of Pakistan to take remedial and comprehensive measures to provide protection to all parties and candidates during the elections in the country. He said nobody is above the law and all citizens have the equal rights.
In his opening remarks, Gahler said that strong democratic commitment was demonstrated in the 2013 elections in Pakistan as the polls were held despite escalating militant threats and attacks. However, he noted that women were not encouraged by the political parties to contest direct elections as much as during 2008 elections. He also said the EU mission did not have ground observations of the elections in Fata and Balochistan province.
The official said the EU mission observed some procedural shortcomings and procedural flaws, but he hoped that the political groups and individuals having any complaints would have registered their complaints with the competent authorities. He said that some fundamental problems remain with the legal framework and the implementation of certain provisions, leaving future processes vulnerable to malpractice.
Gahler said of the 50 recommendations in their report, 7 require constitutional change and 17 others require changes in the primary legislation. He said it was about time that the new parliament, the election commission and other stakeholders demonstrate their commitment to democratic process and do the necessary legislation to remedy the situation in future elections.
The report made the following recommendations: A special parliamentary committee on elections should be formed to review related legislation within a framework of international law commitments. Key issues to address for compliance with Pakistan's international commitments include: candidacy criteria, transparency requirements, and mechanisms for effective remedy.
The ECP should take full responsibility for the administration of the elections, including through management and control of the work of Returning Officers (ROs), and it should fully implement its five-year strategic plan, using the opportunity of any upcoming by-elections and local elections to implement improved practices.
The ECP establish a clear regulatory framework for all aspects of the election, including those about the results management, observation and scrutiny and complaints. The ECP review and develop procedures to increase checks in the polling and results process, and develop practices to improve the quality of completed results forms.
The ECP introduce strong transparency measures – including making all notifications, decisions and election related information immediately and easily available to the public. All polling and results information should be swiftly publicly available on the ECP website. The legal framework for media should be revised so that it fully supports editorial independence and eliminates opportunities for censorship. The Code of Conduct for Media should be enforced, so that equitable opportunities are given to candidates and parties by the state and private media.
Further measures should be taken to promote the participation of women in the electoral process, through for example: further Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) drives, requirements for parties to have publicly available policies and information on women's participation within the party, and greater coverage of women in politics in the state media. Resolute actions should be taken against agreements that prohibit women from voting.
The separate list for Ahmadi voters should be abolished, so that all voters are on one unified electoral roll, according to requirements for age and Pakistani citizenship. The EU EOMs are independent of the EU institutions and EU member states. These missions operate in accordance with the "Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation", endorsed under the auspices of the United Nations in 2005.
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/11-Jul-2013/eu-mission-finds-vast-poll-breaches-in-sindh
IKRAM JUNAIDI
ISLAMABAD: The European Union Observer Mission ruled out on Wednesday suspicion about rigging in the elections and involvement of intelligence agencies in the process. It described this year’s elections as better organised than the 2008 polls.
The mission’s chief, Michael Gahler, released its final report on the May 11 elections at a news conference and said the EU observers had monitored 184 constituencies of the National Assembly. It made 50 recommendations for electoral reforms. He said some institutions had crossed limits in discharge of their duty and the PML-N had been given more coverage than other parties during the election campaign.
“Now is the time for the new parliament, the Election Commission and other stakeholders to demonstrate their commitment to democratic Pakistan. Legislation can be further improved and every by-election and local government election offers an opportunity for implementing improved practices,” Mr Gahler said.
Seven of the 50 recommendations relate to constitutional changes and 17 to primary legislation. The report suggests formation of a special parliamentary committee on elections to review related legislation within the framework of international law commitments such as candidacy criteria, transparency requirements and mechanisms for an effective remedy.
The Election Commission (ECP) should take full responsibility for the administration of elections, including through management control of the work of returning officers, and fully implement its five-year strategic plan using the opportunity of any upcoming by-election and local bodies election to implement improved practices, the team stressed.
The ECP should develop a clear regulatory framework covering all aspects of election, including management, observation and scrutiny, and addressing complaints. It should review and develop procedures to increase checks on the polling and results process and improve the quality of completed result forms.
The report wants the ECP to introduce strong transparency measures and make all notifications, decisions and election-related information public. The polling results should be immediately placed on the ECP website.
It recommends that the legal framework for the media be revised so that it could fully support editorial independence and eliminate opportunities for censorship. The code of conduct for the media should be enforced so that equitable opportunities are given to candidates and parties by the state and private media.
The report calls for further measures to promote the participation of women in the electoral process such as provision of computerised national identity cards, requirement for the parties to make public their policies on women and information about their participation in intra-party elections and their greater coverage in the state media. Action should be taken against agreements barring women from casting their votes.
The report calls for abolition of the separate list for Ahmadi voters.
Elections better organised than in 2008: EU - DAWN.COM
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EU mission ‘finds’ vast poll breaches in Sindh
July 11, 2013 Maqbool Malik
ISLAMABAD - The EU observers’ mission on Wednesday said that nine percent polling stations were poorly managed while 30 percent polling stations in Sindh, especially port city of Karachi, saw irregularities in the polling process during 2013 general elections.
Issuing a report of European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) for Pakistan, two months after the polls, Chief Observer of the Mission and Member EU Parliament Michael Gahler reiterated that the elections in Pakistan registered 55 percent voter turnout.
The report contains 50 recommendations on improving the polling process and ensuring transparency. Speaking here at a local hotel, Mr Gahler said the mission observed less than required transparency in vote counting at some polling stations and inordinate delays in publication of elections results.
The EU mission head said that almost nine percent polling stations were poorly managed, adding that a number of polling stations saw irregularities. At some polling stations more votes were cast than the enrolled while some polling stations were changed before voting day.
However, he dismissed notions that Pakistan's intelligence agencies had any interference in the election process, saying there was no evidence regarding their involvement. He hoped the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would take appropriate steps to avoid such situation in future.
Asked whether the EU mission was satisfied with the autonomy of the election commission, he said it had autonomy but lacked capacity, adding that some state institutions including the judiciary acted beyond their constitutional role. He stresses the need of political will and need of implementations of their recommendations for the improvement of the election process in Pakistan.
Answering a question about self-exiled Altaf Hussain, he said that British government could take action against the MQM chief over his alleged threatening statements to media as well as his political opponents. “Altaf Hussain is currently residing in Britain and the Britain government can decide any action against him", he said.
To another question, he said it was the responsibility of ECP and government of Pakistan to take remedial and comprehensive measures to provide protection to all parties and candidates during the elections in the country. He said nobody is above the law and all citizens have the equal rights.
In his opening remarks, Gahler said that strong democratic commitment was demonstrated in the 2013 elections in Pakistan as the polls were held despite escalating militant threats and attacks. However, he noted that women were not encouraged by the political parties to contest direct elections as much as during 2008 elections. He also said the EU mission did not have ground observations of the elections in Fata and Balochistan province.
The official said the EU mission observed some procedural shortcomings and procedural flaws, but he hoped that the political groups and individuals having any complaints would have registered their complaints with the competent authorities. He said that some fundamental problems remain with the legal framework and the implementation of certain provisions, leaving future processes vulnerable to malpractice.
Gahler said of the 50 recommendations in their report, 7 require constitutional change and 17 others require changes in the primary legislation. He said it was about time that the new parliament, the election commission and other stakeholders demonstrate their commitment to democratic process and do the necessary legislation to remedy the situation in future elections.
The report made the following recommendations: A special parliamentary committee on elections should be formed to review related legislation within a framework of international law commitments. Key issues to address for compliance with Pakistan's international commitments include: candidacy criteria, transparency requirements, and mechanisms for effective remedy.
The ECP should take full responsibility for the administration of the elections, including through management and control of the work of Returning Officers (ROs), and it should fully implement its five-year strategic plan, using the opportunity of any upcoming by-elections and local elections to implement improved practices.
The ECP establish a clear regulatory framework for all aspects of the election, including those about the results management, observation and scrutiny and complaints. The ECP review and develop procedures to increase checks in the polling and results process, and develop practices to improve the quality of completed results forms.
The ECP introduce strong transparency measures – including making all notifications, decisions and election related information immediately and easily available to the public. All polling and results information should be swiftly publicly available on the ECP website. The legal framework for media should be revised so that it fully supports editorial independence and eliminates opportunities for censorship. The Code of Conduct for Media should be enforced, so that equitable opportunities are given to candidates and parties by the state and private media.
Further measures should be taken to promote the participation of women in the electoral process, through for example: further Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) drives, requirements for parties to have publicly available policies and information on women's participation within the party, and greater coverage of women in politics in the state media. Resolute actions should be taken against agreements that prohibit women from voting.
The separate list for Ahmadi voters should be abolished, so that all voters are on one unified electoral roll, according to requirements for age and Pakistani citizenship. The EU EOMs are independent of the EU institutions and EU member states. These missions operate in accordance with the "Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation", endorsed under the auspices of the United Nations in 2005.
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/11-Jul-2013/eu-mission-finds-vast-poll-breaches-in-sindh
