• Election Observation Information Gathered in 130 Districts across Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, April 24, 2018: Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) has started pre-election long-term observation activities in 130 districts across Pakistan to assess the political environment and implementation of election-related laws, rules and regulations as part of its multi-phase observation of General Election (GE) 2018.

In its General Election 2018 Update-I being released today, FAFEN has compiled the observations recorded by its Long Term Observers (LTOs) between January 2018 to March 2018 to provide objective, unbiased and evidence-based information about the quality of electoral and political processes to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), political parties, media, civil society organizations and citizens.

The purpose of observation is to contribute to the evolution of an election process that is free, fair, transparent and accountable, in accordance with the requirements laid out in the Elections Act, 2017.

The election observation information has been gathered by 130 trained and non-partisan district-level LTOs through 2,001 interviews of 41 political parties, 380 interviews of 33 political parties in 95 districts, and direct observation of 629 political gatherings including 62 political rallies, 294 jalsas, 265 corner meetings, and eight dharnas (sit-ins). Moreover, FAFEN documented the formation of 169 political alliances, party-switching by political figures, and emerging alliances among ethnic, tribal and professional groups.

The update includes information and analysis of the campaign environment, the purposes and distribution of political gatherings, opinions of political parties on the conduct of voter registration, National Identity Card (NIC) registration and delimitation processes, and the formation of political alliances at the district level, including emerging electoral alliances among ethnic, tribal and professional groups. Moreover, the report includes an overview of the unprecedented increase in women’s voter registration as a result of the ECP’s renewed strategy to address existing gender disparity on electoral rolls.

Detailed analysis of the election observation findings can be downloaded from the following link: FAFEN General Election 2018 Update-1

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