ECP to finalise code of conduct with political parties in May 31 meeting

ISLAMABAD: A restriction figuring in the proposed code of conduct for the July 25 general elections, barring political parties from highlighting their governments’ performance during the poll campaign, discriminates against at least three major political forces.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will finalise the code in a meeting with the leaders of political parties having representation in the parliament on May 31. While summoning the session through a letter, the ECP also forwarded a copy of the proposed code to the heads of the parliamentary parties.

Under Section 233 of the Elections Act, the ECP is required to frame in consultation with political parties a code of conduct for political parties, contesting candidates, election agents and polling agents. It will also prepare the code for security personnel, media and election observers. A political party, a candidate, an election agent, a polling agent, security personnel, media and an observer will follow the code during an election.

The restraint contained in the proposed code will seriously affect the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) that had been in government at the federal and or provincial levels. If they are barred by the ECP to not talk about what their governments delivered, they would be deprived of the luxury of demonstrating their performance. Then, they will be left to toss over traditional hollow slogans and promises that will be fulfilled if they will be voted to power in the forthcoming polls.

The principal parties are expected to strongly oppose the restriction and urge the ECP to excise it from the code. As the PML-N led a coalition at the federal level and ruled Punjab single-handed for the last five years, it is eager to project during the poll campaign the mega projects it conceived and completed and other massive development work done across Pakistan specifically in Punjab. Its main reliance and hope to get the electorate’s support is its performance. In his speeches, PML-N ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been focusing on the delivery of his government.

Likewise, the PTI is keen to present to the voters its performance in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Its top leaders frequently cite the achievements of the KP government in different sectors including health and education.

The PPP is also enthusiastically showcasing the accomplishments made in the past five years in Sindh in various fields. Bilawal has frequently mentioned different major projects undertaken by the provincial government with the resolve to continue this agenda in future.

The proposed discriminatory restriction if implemented may hurt the PML-N most because it persists with its assertions that it’s federal and Punjab governments introduced unparalleled development projects that none could in the past seventy years.

The PML-N has metros, orange lines, power plants, motorways etc., to show to the people to get their votes. Nawaz Sharif has already dubbed the proposed bar as unfair, and stated that it is meant to actually target his party.