Political Parties’ Petitions with Election Tribunals April 2014 Update

The election tribunals established by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to redress post-election disputes have failed to dispose of as many as 150 out of 156 petitions within the legally-stipulated deadline.As of March 31, 2014, only 62%(254 of 410) of the post-election petitions were decided by the tribunals and the ECP (229 out of 385 by 14 tribunals and 25 by ECP). The ECP constituted 14 tribunals across the country following the 2013 General 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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FAFEN Parliament Monitor: Senate of Pakistan 101st Session February 3 – 17, 2014

Discussion on policy and constitutional matters was the main concern of Senators besides law and order situation as they spent two fifths of the session time criticizing the government on the said issues through debates, says the Free and Fair Election Network in its report based on direct observation of the Senate. Through two Motions under Rule 218, the government received heavy criticism for its privatization policy and not pursuing Article 148(3) which directs federal government to protect its citizens.

 
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Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Framework: Performance of the 13th National Assembly (2008-2013)

The 13th National Assembly brought yet another transition to democracy in Pakistan. Pakistan faced uncertainty and lingering political instability from 2008 to 2013. The defining feature of this period in Pakistan’s history was the executive-judiciary tussle. President Zardari, who took over as a civilian President from General Musharraf in 2008, did not initially restore the sacked higher judiciary. It was eventually done due to the intense mobilization of the lawyers and opposition political parties. However, seeds of the executive-judiciary tussle mushroomed into political instability. It forms the backdrop to the way the 13th National Assembly functioned and completed its tenure.

 
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Political Parties’ Petitions with Election Tribunals March 2014 Update

The election tribunals established by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to redress post-election disputes have fallen behind the legally-stipulated deadline to dispose of petitions in 184 out of the 190 pending cases.As of February 28, 2014, only 54%(220 out of 410) of the post-election disputes were decided by the tribunals and the ECP (195 out of 385 by tribunals and 25 by ECP). Meanwhile, the tribunal in Dera Ismail Khan has become the first to dispose of all the 13 petitions referred by the ECP. Its presiding officer is now hearing some of the petitions filed with the Peshawar tribunal which have been transferred by the ECP.

 
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FAFEN: Women MPs Performance in the National Assembly Report

As the first parliamentary year of the incumbent 14th National Assembly is nearing to an end, women legislators performed impressively, asserting themselves in their lawmaking role, according to a Free and Fair Election Network on the International Women’s Day. They played an active role in the lawmaking process by submitting 12 private member bills (six singly and six jointly with their colleagues). These bills mainly focused of issues pertaining to governance, human rights, democracy and political development. Similarly, women parliamentarians, singly, submitted 20 resolutions, 14 calling attention notices, 1,383 questions, 22 motions under rule 259 and raised 64 points of order during the reporting period.

 
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Report on the Senate performance during the Eleventh Parliamentary Year 2013-14

The Senate ended its eleventh parliamentary year 2013-14 on 11th March, 2014. The Senate annual year 2013-2014 bore testimony to some crucial political developments in the country. The caretaker set up was in place in early 2013 to oversee the general elections. The elections led to first ever transition from a democratically elected government to another with the continuity of the Senate in perpetuating democracy. A distinguishing feature of the National Assembly Senate relationship after the General Elections 2013 is the dominance of opposition parties in the Senate. The Senate is in position to act as counterbalance on legislative developments.

 
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2013 General Elections Observation and Analysis of Election Day Processes

FAFEN observed polling processes at a maximum of 38,274 polling stations and 31,337 polling booths spanning over 263 National Assembly constituencies as a part of its election day observations. The exercise yielded observations of a total 71,397 irregularities and violations in the day’s proceedings. These observations were recorded on standardized observation checklists designed to document polling irregularities as well as significant events and incidents affecting the process.

 
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Political Parties’ Petitions with Election Tribunals – February 2014 Update

The ECP constituted 14 tribunals across the country to redress election-related complaints of contesting candidates. For the first time in Pakistan’s electoral history, the judges heading these tribunals include retired eligible judges instead of serving high court judges (except for the tribunal in Quetta which is being headed by a serving judge of Balochistan High Court). Earlier, the existing workload of judges would restrict the proceedings of the tribunals and the cases would often continue for years. By appointing retired judges, the ECP has removed the existing workload from the tribunals’ schedules, making it easier to resolve the cases within 120 days stipulated by Section 67(1A) of the Representation of the People Act 1976. The day count starts when the tribunals receive petitions from the ECP.

 
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FAFEN Parliament Monitor: 9th Session Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (January 6-22, 2014)

The ninth session of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly achieved a milestone by being the first provincial assembly to pass the Ehtesab (Accountability) Commission Bill, 2014 to overcome corruption. The Estesab Commission Bill was passed along with the other legislation. The legislation was done in the atmosphere of low attendance and prevailing lack of interest amongst the law-makers, says the Free and Fair Election Network in its session report based on the direct observation of the session.

 
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