General Election 2013 – Three Stage Methodology for Result Audit

For the first time in Pakistan’s electoral history, political parties are discussing the possibility and modus operandi of investigating the quality of General Elections 2013 with the purpose of determining whether they were “rigged”. Election audits are very rare, and such an investigation is a complex and technical task. Therefore, it is understandable that there have been delays in finalizing the scale and scope of the probe so that it is mutually agreeable to the political parties on both sides of the deadlock. There is no standard methodology or procedure to investigate an election.

 
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11% Legislators Take Part in Debate on Political Situation in Pakistan

The third Joint Session of the Parliament was called on September 2, 2014 to discuss the current political situation in wake of Islamabad dharnas by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) against the alleged rigging in General Elections 2013 and by Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) against the killing of its workers in Model Town Lahore. Under pressure by protests and amid potential risks to the stability of the system, the session was convened at the joint request of treasury and opposition parties with the purpose of demonstrating of political unity for the continuity of the democratic system.

 
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Political Parties’ Petitions with Election Tribunals September 2014 Update

Five cases were decided by the election tribunals between August 11-31, 2014 – bringing the total number of decided cases to 331 out of 410 (305 out of 384 by the tribunals and 26 by the ECP itself). Of the most recent five cases, only one was accepted while four were dismissed. Meanwhile, 79 petitions are still awaiting decisions by the tribunals.

 
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2013 General Election Observation and Analysis of Pre-Election Processes

As part of FAFEN’s comprehensive election observation strategy, a long-term observation of critical processes and implementation of laws, rules and regulations was conducted between February and May 11, 2013 — the day elections were held. The observation was carried out at the district level prior to the announcement of the election schedule. Following the announcement of the schedule constituency level observation was initiated in 267 constituency to spearhead the pre-election observation exercise.

 
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Provincial Assembly of the Sindh: Annual Report 2013 – 2014

The first parliamentary year of the 14th Sindh Assembly was marked by heavy treasury-backed legislation amid protests, a lackluster government oversight in the absence of standing committees and lawmakers’ minimal participation during the question hours. A shift in trend was observed compared to the preceding year as lawmakers actively tabled agenda and utilized calling attention notices to question the government.

 
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Political Parties’ Petitions with Election Tribunals – August 2014 Update

Only eight cases were decided by the election tribunals between July 01 and August 10, 2014 -bringing the total number of decided cases to 326 out of 410 (300 out of 384 by the tribunals and 26 by the ECP itself). Of the most recent eight cases, five were accepted while three were dismissed due to multiple reasons. On the other hand, 84 petitions are still awaiting decisions by the election tribunals.

 
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Political Parties’ Petitions with Election Tribunals – July 2014 Update

There were 17 petitions decided in the month of June 2014 -sixteen by election tribunals and one by the ECP. However, given the backlog of pending petitions and the expiry of the tribunals’ tenure, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has extended the tenure of tribunals following their failure to resolve all post-election disputes within the legally-stipulated deadline. Overall, as many as 318(78%) out of the 410 cases have so far been decided by the tribunals and the ECP (292 out of 384 by tribunals and 26by ECP)while 92 (22%) petitions are still awaiting decisions.The ECP constituted 14 tribunals across the country following the 2013 elections to redress election-related complaints of contesting candidates.The tribunals were legally bound to decide each case within 120 days of its receipt.

 
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FAFEN Parliament Monitor: 12th (Budget) Session 14th National Assembly

The National Assembly’s twelfth (budget) session was marked by the approval of the federal budget for the fiscal year 2014-15. The House passed the Finance Bill after incorporating 43% of the recommendations proposed by the Senate. Other legislations, including the Anti-terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2014, were also passed amid protests and low attendance of members.

 
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Political Parties’ Petitions with Election Tribunals June 2014 Update

The election tribunals established by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) have failed to redress post-election disputes within the legally-stipulated deadline. A year after the 2013 elections, nearly 27% (109 out of 410) petitions are still awaiting decisions. Meanwhile,73% (301 out of 410) cases have been decided by the tribunals and the ECP (276 out of 385 by tribunals and 25 by ECP). The ECP constituted 14 tribunals across the country following the 2013 elections to redress election-related complaints of contesting candidates. The election results were officially notified on May 22, 2013, following which the candidates were given until July 6 (45 days) to submit their petitions. The ECP received a total of 409 petitions,while one petition was filed directly with the Lahore Tribunal.

 
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14th National Assembly of Pakistan: Annual Report 2013 – 2014

Marked by national security challenges, post-election disputes and strained civil-military relations, the first parliamentary year of the 14th National Assembly, which ended on May 28, 2014, saw the passage of only 11 treasury-backed bills. Following the country’s first-ever democratic transition of power, the National Assembly had to respond to public concerns over prevailing multipronged issues of governance. Meeting for 99 sittings, the National Assembly’s focus remained on bills pertaining to judicial commissions, banking and amendments in the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.

 
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