Karachi
For Vladimir Pran, the DRI’s lead election expert, the persisting problems witnessed in the local government system came down to the irregularity of the electoral process.
“Given the fact that the last LG elections in Pakistan were conducted over a decade ago under the Musharraf regime, the ECP simply hasn’t had a chance to work on improving the mechanism,” he said while talking to The News after the DRI report launch.
“These are structural problems and, unfortunately, the ECP too has a limited capacity to bring about positive changes. This is mainly because the ECP sees its role in a rigid, legalistic way; the commission has been reluctant to bridge visible gaps.”
Pran was also critical of the role of political parties, stating that mainstream parties were seen to be more focused on winning the elections and coming to power, rather than building on their sub-par understanding of the local bodies system.
“But to be fair to them, the law itself is not clear. The division of roles between district councillors and the civil administration continues to be particularly blurred,” he added.
Delving into the post-election scenario witnessed in Sindh, the DRI representative said that, practically, the newly-elected LG representatives still have little to no power.
“There is a dire need for clear division of powers, so that the representatives can know their respective mandates,” said Pran, adding that the responsibility to strengthen the local government system lies chiefly with the provincial government.
On a query about whether he could see gradual progress in this regard, Pran replied, “I wish I could be more positive, but there has been little progress as very few laws have been introduced. However, we hope that the committees looking into electoral reforms will be able come up with some substantive recommendations.”— By Ebad Ahmed