ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s election commission has directed polling staff to discourage foul play during the Senate elections, which will be conducted through secret ballot, on March 3.
The election commission warned returning officers to make sure no one discloses who they voted for and to see that voters do not take ballot papers out of the polling station.
The notice, which was issued on Thursday, said: “The returning officer is authorized to cancel a ballot paper on the spot in case of any violation by a voter and can punish the violator through a summary trial.”
A total of 134 candidates are contesting 52 seats. Electoral colleges, made up of provincial and national assemblies, will vote for candidates in their province or region.
Members of the National Assembly and the four provincial assemblies are the electoral college for the Senate polls.
Political analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi told Arab News that some candidates start bidding over members of provincial assemblies, especially from Balochistan province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), in the National Assembly.
“Twelve FATA members in the National Assembly will elect four Senators; it means if a candidate buys three members he can easily become member of the Parliament,” he said. “Despite being illegal, this practice has been in vogue for many years.”
Rizvi added that 65 members of Balochistan Assembly will elect 11 senators, so if an influential or wealthy candidate succeeds in gaining support from just six members, a slot in the Senate is assured.
The Senate, Pakistan’s Upper House of Parliament, has 104 members: 23 from each of Pakistan’s four provinces, eight from FATA, and four from federal capital Islamabad.
Senators serve terms of six years, but elections are held every three years as this is when half of the senators retire.
Kanwar Dilshad, former secretary of the ECP, told Arab News that Senate election horse trading — when an elected member chooses to vote for a candidate by violating the party discipline or for monetary gain — can only be eliminated if the elections are conducted through open ballots.
“The secret ballot is the biggest hurdle in holding free and fair Senate elections,” he said.
“Membership of Senate brings a lot of respect and influence in the society. This is why the wealthy candidates bid over legislators to get the votes,” he said.
According to the ECP, four senators will be elected from FATA, 11 each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, 12 each from Sindh and Punjab and two from Islamabad.
Pakistan’s ruling party — Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) — is expected to be the majority party in the Senate because of its numerical strength in Punjab and the National Assembly.
Haroon Khan Shinwari, a spokesperson for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), told Arab News that the election commission has been doing its best to protect the ballot. Those who break election rules will be punished, he promised.
“Troops of paramilitary force, Rangers and Frontier Corps will be deployed outside the National Assembly and all four of the provincial assemblies to deal with any untoward incident,” he added.
The election commission warned returning officers to make sure no one discloses who they voted for and to see that voters do not take ballot papers out of the polling station.
The notice, which was issued on Thursday, said: “The returning officer is authorized to cancel a ballot paper on the spot in case of any violation by a voter and can punish the violator through a summary trial.”
A total of 134 candidates are contesting 52 seats. Electoral colleges, made up of provincial and national assemblies, will vote for candidates in their province or region.
Members of the National Assembly and the four provincial assemblies are the electoral college for the Senate polls.
Political analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi told Arab News that some candidates start bidding over members of provincial assemblies, especially from Balochistan province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), in the National Assembly.
“Twelve FATA members in the National Assembly will elect four Senators; it means if a candidate buys three members he can easily become member of the Parliament,” he said. “Despite being illegal, this practice has been in vogue for many years.”
Rizvi added that 65 members of Balochistan Assembly will elect 11 senators, so if an influential or wealthy candidate succeeds in gaining support from just six members, a slot in the Senate is assured.
The Senate, Pakistan’s Upper House of Parliament, has 104 members: 23 from each of Pakistan’s four provinces, eight from FATA, and four from federal capital Islamabad.
Senators serve terms of six years, but elections are held every three years as this is when half of the senators retire.
Kanwar Dilshad, former secretary of the ECP, told Arab News that Senate election horse trading — when an elected member chooses to vote for a candidate by violating the party discipline or for monetary gain — can only be eliminated if the elections are conducted through open ballots.
“The secret ballot is the biggest hurdle in holding free and fair Senate elections,” he said.
“Membership of Senate brings a lot of respect and influence in the society. This is why the wealthy candidates bid over legislators to get the votes,” he said.
According to the ECP, four senators will be elected from FATA, 11 each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, 12 each from Sindh and Punjab and two from Islamabad.
Pakistan’s ruling party — Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) — is expected to be the majority party in the Senate because of its numerical strength in Punjab and the National Assembly.
Haroon Khan Shinwari, a spokesperson for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), told Arab News that the election commission has been doing its best to protect the ballot. Those who break election rules will be punished, he promised.
“Troops of paramilitary force, Rangers and Frontier Corps will be deployed outside the National Assembly and all four of the provincial assemblies to deal with any untoward incident,” he added.
