Elections now

The dogged determination with which a small band of senators seems to be gunning for a delay in the election has been responded to quite clearly by the ECP: no, it would not be ‘advisable’ to delay the polls since all arrangements have been completed. The senators’ resolution – moved by Senator Dilawar Khan and passed by the house amid thin attendance – had cited harsh weather conditions and the rise in terrorism, among others, as reasons why the elections should be delayed. The ECP has rightly said that in the past, general elections and local government polls have been held during the winter. With this, all the uncertainty surrounding Elections 2024 should be put to rest – ideally.

Unfortunately, idyllic our circumstances are not. And the most important question regarding the February elections still looms: what of the credibility, legitimacy and transparency of these elections? After the bat symbol was taken away from the PTI through the recent Supreme Court verdict, former PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has expressed fears that the PTI having to field independent candidates could increase the chances of horse-trading because the PTI is going to polls without one election symbol. In a bizarre turn, the party has also withdrawn its petition seeking contempt proceedings against the ECP because it apparently does not have confidence in Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s court. This is hardly setting the right tone – for politics or justice. That said, the PTI has not been alone in questioning the credibility of the coming elections. Legal experts have pointed at the disenfranchisement of a whole class of voters while rights activists have pointed out the lop-sided way candidates were targeted during the nomination process for the elections.

For some political observers, not all is lost still for the PTI. The party is not boycotting the elections and it still has a sizeable vote bank so it should not be written off as the party itself has not been banned from contesting polls. However, the challenges ahead for PTI are plenty given the political landscape of the country. Many have raised fears that once the elections take place and PTI candidates win seats as independents, there is no party discipline that they come under and they can join other political parties without any repercussions under the defection clause. Thus, the question of changing loyalties would not arise for them. The party will not be able to get reserved seats either as a result of its candidates being ‘independents’ and experts are raising questions about the upcoming Senate polls after the general elections and whether the PTI would be able to contest those or not either. These are all important questions. That they are being asked should be a matter of immense discomfort for any democracy. Which is why the ECP should ensure that these are not just some farcical elections that are being conducted to check a box. We need a government; we need a government that is elected; and we need a government unencumbered by constant protests and court cases. For that, we need fair and free elections.