ECP accuses LGs of ‘facilitating’ candidates, warns of ‘stern’ action

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has accused the elected heads and other functionaries of the local governments of “facilitating contesting candidates in terms of manpower and by deploying state machinery” for the general elections and warned them of “stern action.”

“It has come to the notice of the Election Commission that elected heads of local governments and other functionaries of local governments are facilitating contesting candidates in terms of manpower and by deploying state machinery which comes in conflict with provision of code of conduct and a level playing field to all contesting candidates without discrimination,” read a letter from Additional Director General (Elections II) to the chief secretaries of the provinces and provincial election commissioners on Wednesday.

“To this effect, it has been directed by the ECP that elected heads of local governments and other functionaries of local governments shall refrain from extending any support to the contesting candidates, failing to do so, stern action would be taken against them for violating standing instructions of ECP,” the letter said.

LGs barred from announcing, executing uplift schemes till elections

The district monitoring teams are also directed to take stern action against the violators, it added.

Earlier, in a notification, dated January 17, the ECP announced to freeze all development funds related to LG institutions till the announcement of the results of general elections.

Presently, the LG systems are functional in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan whereas the ECP failed to hold the LG elections in Punjab and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) upon the expiry of their respective terms.

Punjab local bodies’ term expired on December 31, 2021, and that of the ICT expired on February 14, 2021.

In December 2022, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja claimed at an event that the ECP intended to launch pilot testing of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the next general elections or local government polls - besides working on internet voting or i-voting for overseas Pakistanis, for which, the CEC said, funds were sought from the then federal government.

But, contrary to this claim, in July last year, the poll body refused to hold the LG elections in Punjab on EVMs and i-voting for overseas Pakistanis, deciding to ask the provincial caretaker government to amend the related electoral rules —to allow the polls on the manual voting method. The LG elections have since faced lingering delay on one pretext or another.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024