ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat) has urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)to enhance institutional transparency and accountability.

In its latest report on the ‘Implementation of the ECP’s third Strategic Plan (2019-2023)’, Pildat highlighted its concerns over the ECP’s monitoring mechanisms, the late release of annual reports and the delayed rollout of the fourth Strategic Plan (2024-2028).

The ECP’s third Strategic Plan (2019-2023) contained 11 strategic pillars, which were further divided into 30 goals and 92 strategic actions. These translated to a total of 111 measurable indicators, majority of which laid out a specific task and a deadline for completion.

The focus of the strategic plan was both internal, emphasising the ECP’s own organisational infrastructure, and external, emphasising electoral management and relationships with stakeholders.

Internally, the strategic pillars focused on institutional development (pillar 3), training and capacity building (pillar 4) and financial management (pillar 6). Externally, the focus was on legal reforms (pillar 1), transparency and public perception (pillar 2), election operations (pillar 5), voter registration (pillar 7), electoral technologies (pillar 8) and election dispute resolution (pillar 9). Gender sensitivity (pillar 10) as well as monitoring and research capabilities (pillar 11) were to be improved internally and externally.

“While the ECP’s consistent engagement in strategic planning over the past 15 years should be appreciated, a significant gap needs to be filled when it comes to monitoring and reporting progress on implementation,” the report said.

In response to a request from Pildat, the ECP shared its progress on implementing the strategic plan in September 2023.

The ECP reported an overall 88pc progress on the strategic plan in September 2023, while the progress on individual pillars ranged from 69pc to 95pc. However, the data shared with Pildat were not detailed progress reports but rather presentations that listed progress on the strategic pillars as percentages and outlined the achievements of each wing of the ECP.

“Despite repeated requests for clarification, Pildat was not able to obtain a clear explanation from the ECP on how the reported percentages were calculated,” the report pointed out.

The ECP made significant commitments in the strategic plan and it is critical that the progress is diligently monitored and shared with the public.

For example, under Pillar 7 (Voter Registration and Participation), the ECP committed to reduce the gender gap in electoral rolls to 6pc by 2023. However, the gap was 7.7pc in December 2023.

The ECP did not share any progress on the specific sections pertaining to the electoral gender gap with us. Pildat has emphasised the need for comprehensive progress reports, as was specified in the third Strategic Plan. These reports should be released and uploaded on the ECP website annually or even more frequently to ensure transparency.

While the inclusion of measurable indicators in the 3rd Strategic Plan was a major improvement, future plans should include means of verification (MoVs) so that implementation can be monitored with accuracy.

Lastly, the release of the fourth Strategic Plan (2024-2028) should not be delayed any further as continuation in planning is vital for institutional development. Pildat recommends that improving the credibility of the ECP should be a vital part of the next strategic plan.

Additionally, it is deeply concerning that the ECP’s annual reports of 2022 and 2023, which are key documents for institutional transparency, were not released within the legally mandated timelines under the Elections Act, 2017 (Section 16).

Revisiting the electoral and political developments during the years under review, the report refers to the dissolution of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies in mid-January.

It says the Constitution mandated that fresh elections be held within 90 days but these assemblies remained vacant till the general election on February 8 was held after more than 365 days since their dissolution.

The National Assembly was dissolved on August 9, 2023 but these elections were also not held within 90 days.

The reasons given by the government and the ECP ranged from unavailability of funds and security concerns to fresh delimitation of constituencies. A delayed general election and prolonged caretaker governments, despite clear constitutional provisions to the contrary, lowered public confidence in democratic institutions and some political parties.

The credibility of the ECP unfortunately also suffered amid these controversies. Blatant instances of state partiality added to the public perception that state institutions were involved in pre-poll rigging. This perception, sadly, also extended to the Election Commission of Pakistan.

When the ECP deprived the PTI of its election symbol, ‘bat’, forcing its candidates to contest as independents, it further became a polarising institution for voters.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2024