Manoeuvring for election of Senate chairman begins

ISLAMABAD: Manoeuvring has started in the federal capital for the election of Senate chairman. After the parties position has become clear, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) hold the key and whoever they support will be termed successful.
Though the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) got a larger chunk in the Thursday’s Senate elections, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is still leading with 27 senators, while the N-League has 26 senators.
The MQM, JUI-F, Fata and independent senators will get importance in case the PPP and PML-N fail to reach a consensus on the names of the Senate chairman and deputy chairman. The MQM has eight senators, the JUI-F has five senators and there are six independent legislators in the Upper House of Parliament.
Both parties — PML-N and PPP — are optimistic of getting the Senate chairman’s post.The election for the posts of Senate chairman and deputy chairman will be held on March 12 and under the rules, the majority of 53 members is not mandatory, and whoever secures more votes than the other will be declared a winner.
Constitutional expert Barrister Omar Sajjad told The News that the Clause 6 of Rule 9 of the Senate Procedure is clear that as soon as the new senators take oath under Article 60 of the Constitution, the election of Senate chairman and deputy chairman become a constitutional obligation.
He said under the rules, if there were two candidates for the post, a ballot shall be held between them and the candidate who secures more votes than the other shall be declared to have been elected. “If both the candidates secure an equal number of votes, a fresh ballot shall be held between them until one of them secures more votes than the other,” he added.
He said if there are more than two candidates, the candidate securing more votes than the aggregate of votes secured by the other candidates shall be declared as elected. “If no candidate secures more votes than the aggregate of votes secured by the other candidates, there shall be a fresh ballot at which the candidate who secured the lowest number of votes at the last ballot shall be excluded from the election, and the balloting shall in like manner proceed until one candidate secures more votes than the remaining candidate or, as the case may be, the remaining candidates in the aggregate, and such candidate shall be declared to have been elected,” he added.