ISLAMABAD, May 25: Bonded voting, an environment of intimidation, blatant disregard of rules and procedures by election officials and disinterest of political parties followed by a lacklustre election campaign characterised the by-election for the provincial assembly seat (PP-80, Jhang-VIII) held on Thursday, says the preliminary election observation report released by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) here on Friday.

FAFEN, a network of more than 30 leading civil society organisations, is dedicated to observing all elections in order to provide data-based recommendations to the Election Commission of Pakistan, political parties and other stakeholders to improve the electoral and political processes in the country.

The report is based on the findings of a 20-member election monitoring team that observed all stages of polling — opening of polling stations, voting and count — at 90 out of a total of 148 polling stations. The team members also interviewed more than 200 voters and 150 election officials and party polling agents.

The PP-80 seat fell vacant after incumbent Imtiaz Lali was disqualified on the ground that he was a public servant and, therefore, ineligible to run for office.

According to FAFEN observers’ interviews with voters and other stakeholders in the area, a majority of the votes were cast by people whose livelihood depended on the contesting candidates.

The candidate fielded by the Pakistan Muslim League is one of the most influential landlords of the area and, therefore, has immense controls on a considerable number of people who live on his lands and depend on him for living.

His main ally, disqualified incumbent Imtiaz Lali, also holds huge land tracts and, therefore, enjoys a considerable following of the people living and working on his land.

“Most people who were interviewed by FAFEN observers had no interest in party politics and were voting for the landlords as they thought that was the only option they had. Therefore, the votes polled for Ghulam Lali were not indicative of the support of the PML, but can be qualified as the “bonded vote — a phenomenon that is rampant in rural, feudal districts of Pakistan,” says the report.

At many polling stations, local supporters of the candidates, mostly nazims and councillors, were seen supervising the voting and keeping an eye on the voters even at the time of their stamping the ballots.

At some polling stations, says the report, observers witnessed ballot papers of voters being stamped by polling agents of the PML candidate or other party activists deputed to oversee the process.

The principal of the secrecy of ballot was compromised consistently in the by-election, according to FAFEN observations.

At many polling stations, for example at Hast Thewa, the local Union Nazim Mian Shahid was present throughout the day and ensured that all votes were cast in favour of the PML candidate.

Observers also reported that a Punjab government minister accompanied by more than 50 people, many of them armed with weapons, toured many polling stations in Lalian area of the constituency, creating an environment of intimidation for potential voters who might have wanted to vote for the rival PPP candidate Ahmed Omar Lali. The minister’s entourage also comprised government vehicles bearing green registration numbers (SGP 39, H22 555, LZR-7003 and LEG-222).

Some FAFEN observers were also questioned by armed men supporting the PML candidate, who pressurised the observers to leave the area.