Appointment of new Chief Election Commissioner

The chances of the resumption of working relations between the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have suddenly increased after the induction of new prime minister.

The duo parties, which were on a collision course up till now, have shown agreement to initiate talks on key issues.

Newly elected Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf expressed hopes that the elections would be held this year. Hence, it is of great importance that the two major parties settle down the issues of the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and an interim setup.

Every party including PML-N, PPP and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) claims that it is enjoying enough support to form next government. However, the whole scenario can be changed if there was a perception of election having been stolen by those who do every time.

Although four provincial members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) have been appointed in accordance with the law, the appointment of CEC is an important step to ensure transparency and fairness of the elections.

In the wake of the ruling of the apex court against Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, the talks between the two parties broke down. The PML-N raised questions over legality of Gilani to hold the portfolio of the chief executive.

The latest move in which the provincial government sent its two ministers to welcome Raja Pervez Ashraf at the Lahore airport signaled a thaw in the bilateral relationships.

The leader of the house and opposition leader under the Article 213(2A) play vital role in the selection of the Chief Election Commissioner. However, the ruling PPP wanted a consensus candidate having the support of all political groups.

After the announcement of election date, the role of election commission starts largely. In order to reduce chances of influence, there is a need for an independent interim setup.

The two parties will have to reach an agreement on the interim setup once they finalized the name of CEC.

If all major parties agree on the name of chief election commission, it will be an ideal situation. The issue should be resolved in accordance with the 20^th Amendment in case this fails to happen.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=27836

Posted by Faisal Farooq on Jul 2 2012. Filed under Opinion, Pakistan, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.