At last

Finally, more than a month after four members of the ECP retired, there is agreement on the names selected by the government. That this was done two days before the final deadline set by an angry SC shows how fraught the process was with none of the political parties ready with a list of proposed nominees, despite the passing of the 22nd Amendment in May allowing appointments from outside the judiciary. Now, three of the four appointments are retired judges while one is a retired bureaucrat. There is a welcome surprise in the choice of Irshad Qaiser – who retired as a judge from the Peshawar HC last month – as the first ever woman member of the commission. The ECP has rarely paid attention to the way the female vote is suppressed in elections, with political parties striking informal agreements to keep women away from the ballot box.

Despite hopes that these appointments will remain non-controversial, the PTI has stepped in once again to diminish any such expectations. Imran Khan has objected to the appointment from Punjab. He had wanted Tariq Khosa, a former director general of the FIA, chosen instead. Khan’s opposition to everything is now a norm – and in an ideal situation it could be ignored. But this is not how Khan works. Without giving the new ECP members a chance to work, or without even proposing a list of ECP candidates, the PTI chairman is already crying foul. This is likely to help him create another ruckus if his party is unable to achieve its lofty electoral aims. As it is, the only constitutional role in the process is for the leader of the opposition, and Khursheed Shah consulted with the PTI throughout even though he was not bound to do so. It would be a good break from the norm if Khan would let the ECP operate without controversy. The last ECP could never regain its confidence after the harrowing accusations it faced of collaborating in mass rigging across the country.

Now the ECP can get on with its job. By-elections for a number of national and provincial assembly seats as well as local government election phases lie ahead before the task of preparing for the expected general election in 2018. The ECP can start with ensuring that the provincial governments do not nullify the results of the local government elections by refusing to hand over power to the elected. In the meanwhile, a number of key petitions seeking the disqualification of PM Nawaz Sharif and other party members and the foreign funding petition against the PTI remain outstanding. The new ECP members are tasked with undertaking significant electoral reform. This is a heavy burden to carry. We wish them the best for the uphill task.