Ahead of 2018 Elections: Reforms needed now for transparent elections in Pakistan
With the last elections overshadowed by controversy, more than 400 participants of DRI’s seminars on local Government Elections in 2015 identified greater transparency and accountability in the electoral process as key to improving elections in Pakistan. Representatives of political parties, election officials, civil society and the media agreed that lessons learnt from local elections in the provinces should be used for reforms to ensure more transparent national elections in 2018. They urged that reforms are undertaken by Parliaments in a timely manner through a meaningful consultative process.
The seminars’ participants also discussed reforms to strengthen the participation of vulnerable groups, the rights and responsibilities of election observers, the drawing of electoral boundaries, voter registration, election campaigning, transparency and accountability in elections management and results and mechanisms for dispute resolution.
The seminars were organised by DRI in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Islamabad to share the findings and recommendations of its Elections Assessment Missions for local elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Punjab. The seminars were attended by 442 participants including members of provincial assemblies, representatives of provincial and local governments, political parties, the Election Commission, civil society and media organisations.
Report of the Elections Assessment Mission for local elections in Sindh
Report of the Election Assessment Mission for local elections in Punjab
Report on Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Elections Assessment
Report on Local Government Elections in Balochistan in 2013
The seminars were organised by DRI in the framework of the project “Democratic Stability through Responsive Elected Institutions” funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID).
Media coverage from the events:
Seminar in Lahore
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/22-Mar-2016/dri-urges-review-of-electoral-system-for-reserved-seats
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/punjab/23-Mar-2016/dri-report-reveals-flaws-in-lg-elections-of-2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1247351
http://nation.com.pk/lahore/23-Mar-2016/call-for-women-s-due-role-in-politics
Seminar in Karachi
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print/107717-Amid-recognition-of-progress-questions-raised-over-Sindhs-local-government-mechanism
http://tribune.com.pk/story/1072906/flaws-in-lg-electoral-process-highlighted/
Seminar in Peshawar
http://www.dawn.com/news/1248573/women-underrepresented-in-electoral-process
http://epaper.tribune.com.pk/DisplayDetails.aspx?ENI_ID=11200703290228&EN_ID=11200703290066&EMID=11200703290036
http://www.leadpakistan.com.pk/201603/30/pages/page8.jpg
http://thenewseye.com/?p=2376
Seminar in Islamabad
http://tribune.com.pk/story/1076113/assessment-comprehensive-reforms-advocated-for-credible-polls/
http://nation.com.pk/islamabad/31-Mar-2016/comprehensive-reforms-needed-for-credible-polls-dri
http://newstoday.nayab.net/2016/03/assessment-comprehensive-reforms-advocated-for-credible-polls.html
http://pakobserver.net/2016/03/31/comprehensive-electoral-reforms-must-for-better-general-elections-dri/