The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has called a tender for the procurement of 41,000 transparent ballot boxes in line with preparation for upcoming general elections.
The ECP has 392,000 ballot boxes, which are likely to increase to 433,000 transparent boxes after the procurement, an official of ECP revealed on Tuesday. The ECP procured 100,000 transparent boxes, amounting to Rs 10 million in 2011, for the same purpose, however, the authorities floated the new tender, considering the number insufficient to meet the future demands.
Sources said that the authorities approved the procurement of ballot boxes after the verification of voter lists by Nadra. Nadra so far verified the number of voters which are around 83 million. They said the ECP decided to keep additional ballot boxes in reserve to meet any emergency situation. In this respect, a tender was floated inviting potential parties to participate in the bids by July 30.
These ballot boxes were used in 2008 general election first time. Foreign donors provided the ballot boxes and voters' booths in a bid to ensure transparent elections. The general election of 2008 witnessed a 34,665,978-voter turnout out of the eligible 70 million voters. According to the estimates, 47 percent of all registered voters are between the ages of 18 and 35, which represent 39 million people out of an 83-million-strong electoral list.