ISLAMABAD: The free and fair elections network (Fafen) has called for revisiting the legal framework that governs delimitation of electoral constituencies in the country in an effort to minimise variance of population among electoral constituencies.

In an analytical report on preliminary delimitation lists published by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Fafen asked political parties to consider reviewing application of various delimitation principles provided in section 20(1) of the Elections Act, 2017, in light of the ongoing and previous delimitation exercises.

“The reforms must emphasise on the principles of inclusion and equality to ensure representation of all geographical, linguist, ethnic and religious diversity in elected bodies, rather than safeguarding the integrity of administrative units which are determined by the executive,” the report said.

“This condition under the existing law restricts the Election Commission from containing the variance amongst constituencies of an assembly to a minimum (i.e. 10 per cent) and thus ensuring equal-sized constituencies. Similarly, the cognate factors must also be defined in section 20(1) to minimise the discretionary space available to delimitation committees,” it said.

It, however, noted that these were long-term reforms that need broader parliamentary consultations and approvals.

In the short term, Fafen recommended that the provisions of Rule 10 be brought in conformity with the section 20(3) of the Elections Act, 2017, to ensure that the population sizes of the constituencies do not vary more than 10pc across an assembly.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2022