As the provincial and federal legislatures hold polling today to elect a new head of state to succeed Asif Ali Zardari upon completion of his tenure of office, one can not but lament the unnecessary controversy that has beset these elections. It is the new presidential election schedule that has created this unnecessary controversy. The PPP, supported by its former coalition partners, the ANP and the PML-Q, has announced it would boycott the election because the August 6 date, set earlier by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), has been brought forward to July 30. The change was ordered by the Supreme Court on a petition filed by PML-N leader Raja Zafarul Haq pleading that August 6 would fall within the last ten days of the holy month of Ramazan, when many members of the Parliament and provincial assemblies - president's electoral college- would either be out of the country performing Umra or sitting in 'aitekaf'. But the Opposition said the change will leave little time for its candidate, Senator Raza Rabbani, to travel to the four provincial capitals for canvassing and hence it would boycott the election.
Announcing the boycott at a press conference in Islamabad, Rabbani posed the question "why would members of the provincial assemblies cast their votes without listening to the candidate?" The fact of the matter is that even though the election outcome is decided through secret balloting, members of the assemblies are bound by party discipline to vote for their respective parties' candidates. And Ramazan observances would have affected all parties equally. The result would not have been any different had the schedule remained unchanged. The Nawaz League supported by the JUI-F had the numbers in its favour; its candidate, Mamnoon Hussain, would have won without any difficulty. Still the PML-N decided to use the opportunity to make a show of strength whilst the PPP went for political posturing. Even though PML-N candidate would have easily sailed through poll, the party sought and received the support of the MQM with which it has had fractious relations. For the PPP, it was a chance, aside from giving hard time to the ruling party, to get back at the Supreme Court for its leaders' past and ongoing troubles. No wonder, the PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan spent considerable time at Raza Rabbani's news conference to criticise the apex court for allegedly showing special favour to the Nawaz League.
A better course for the PPP to adopt, like the PTI, would have been to express its reservations but not let the election go by uncontested. At a parallel news conference, PTI Chairman Imran Khan acknowledged that the PPP had a point in raising the objections it did, but his party had decided not to give a walkover to the PML-N candidate. He vented his anger at the ECP rather than the SC. PTI presidential candidate former Justice Wajihuddin Ahmad rightly pointed out that as per the relevant constitutional provision the ECP had a 30-day window to hold the election. Notably, the Constitution says "election to the office of President shall be held not earlier than sixty days and not later than thirty days before the expiration of the term of the President in office." The incumbent's term expires on September 8, which means the election could not wait until after Eid. Blame for the PPP candidate's boycott and the unpleasantness it has created must be shared by all those responsible for the change in schedule, especially the Election Commission which could have held the election sometime earlier this month.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2013
Announcing the boycott at a press conference in Islamabad, Rabbani posed the question "why would members of the provincial assemblies cast their votes without listening to the candidate?" The fact of the matter is that even though the election outcome is decided through secret balloting, members of the assemblies are bound by party discipline to vote for their respective parties' candidates. And Ramazan observances would have affected all parties equally. The result would not have been any different had the schedule remained unchanged. The Nawaz League supported by the JUI-F had the numbers in its favour; its candidate, Mamnoon Hussain, would have won without any difficulty. Still the PML-N decided to use the opportunity to make a show of strength whilst the PPP went for political posturing. Even though PML-N candidate would have easily sailed through poll, the party sought and received the support of the MQM with which it has had fractious relations. For the PPP, it was a chance, aside from giving hard time to the ruling party, to get back at the Supreme Court for its leaders' past and ongoing troubles. No wonder, the PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan spent considerable time at Raza Rabbani's news conference to criticise the apex court for allegedly showing special favour to the Nawaz League.
A better course for the PPP to adopt, like the PTI, would have been to express its reservations but not let the election go by uncontested. At a parallel news conference, PTI Chairman Imran Khan acknowledged that the PPP had a point in raising the objections it did, but his party had decided not to give a walkover to the PML-N candidate. He vented his anger at the ECP rather than the SC. PTI presidential candidate former Justice Wajihuddin Ahmad rightly pointed out that as per the relevant constitutional provision the ECP had a 30-day window to hold the election. Notably, the Constitution says "election to the office of President shall be held not earlier than sixty days and not later than thirty days before the expiration of the term of the President in office." The incumbent's term expires on September 8, which means the election could not wait until after Eid. Blame for the PPP candidate's boycott and the unpleasantness it has created must be shared by all those responsible for the change in schedule, especially the Election Commission which could have held the election sometime earlier this month.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2013
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