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Global Village Space |
Prominent TV anchor and Editor Global Village Space sheds light on the transition of Pakistan’s unicameral parliamentary system into a bicameral one and PTI government’s move to seek an advisory judgment from the Supreme Court on the question of ‘open vote’ in the backdrop of the upcoming Senate elections. Will it be able to curb the malpractice of horse-trading – a new open market in the electoral arena of Pakistan?
PM Imran Khan and ruling PTI are trying to establish the principle that senate elections – due in March – should be held through an open transparent ballot; instead of the secret vote as mandated by the constitution. This now represents the latest chapter in the never-ending tug of war between the government and its myriad opposition – and becomes important because the PDM movement, on the streets, appears to have stalled bringing all political focus back into the parliament.
In December, the government had moved a reference in the Supreme Court of Pakistan seeking the apex body’s advice on the issue. The court started hearing the reference in the first week of January 2021, and sought replies and opinions from a wide body of stakeholders including all political parties, provincial governments and state institutions like the Election Commission of Pakistan.
In the last week of January, the Khan government suddenly announced that it will now introduce a bill in the parliament seeking a constitutional amendment to provide for an open transparent ballot. Apparently, the government fears that the supreme court will not grant its request and will advise the matter to be decided in the parliament – as the opposition parties had been arguing from the very beginning.
However, PTI members keep reminding the PML-N and PPP leaders on tv shows that both these parties (PPP and PML-N) had themselves agreed, in the famous “Charter of Democracy” in 2006, that Senate elections should be through open ballot – but in the ten years of PPP and PML-N rule (2008-2018), they never introduced a bill in the parliament to give this commitment an effect.
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Pakistani Senate Elections: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?
Prominent TV anchor and Editor Global Village Space sheds light on the transition of Pakistan’s unicameral parliamentary system into a bicameral one and PTI government’s move to seek an advisory judgment from the Supreme Court on the question of ‘open vote’ in the backdrop of the upcoming Senate elections. Will it be able to curb the malpractice of horse-trading – a new open market in the electoral arena of Pakistan?
PM Imran Khan and ruling PTI are trying to establish the principle that senate elections – due in March – should be held through an open transparent ballot; instead of the secret vote as mandated by the constitution. This now represents the latest chapter in the never-ending tug of war between the government and its myriad opposition – and becomes important because the PDM movement, on the streets, appears to have stalled bringing all political focus back into the parliament.
In December, the government had moved a reference in the Supreme Court of Pakistan seeking the apex body’s advice on the issue. The court started hearing the reference in the first week of January 2021, and sought replies and opinions from a wide body of stakeholders including all political parties, provincial governments and state institutions like the Election Commission of Pakistan.
In the last week of January, the Khan government suddenly announced that it will now introduce a bill in the parliament seeking a constitutional amendment to provide for an open transparent ballot. Apparently, the government fears that the supreme court will not grant its request and will advise the matter to be decided in the parliament – as the opposition parties had been arguing from the very beginning.
However, PTI members keep reminding the PML-N and PPP leaders on tv shows that both these parties (PPP and PML-N) had themselves agreed, in the famous “Charter of Democracy” in 2006, that Senate elections should be through open ballot – but in the ten years of PPP and PML-N rule (2008-2018), they never introduced a bill in the parliament to give this commitment an effect.
Read full article...
Pakistani Senate Elections: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?
