EU observers present final report on Pak's July 25 polls; give 30 suggestions

A team of European Union observers Friday released its final report on Pakistan's July 25 general elections, recommending 30 suggestions to improve the future electoral process in the country.

Chief Observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) Michael Gahler, member of the European Parliament from Germany, returned to Pakistan to present the final report.

"Our final report brings together the findings and analysis of our observations over the period the mission was in Pakistan, as well as comprehensive recommendations for future elections," said Gahler.

"The recommendations in the report are addressed to the relevant institutions the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the government, the National Assembly, political parties, civil society and other key stakeholders," he said.

The report notes the inclusive and consultative reform process undertaken after the 2013 elections, resulting in the partial or complete implementation of 38 of the 50 recommendations made by the EU EOM in 2013.

However, key concerns remain, including: a lack of oversight of political party campaign finance; vague and subjective candidacy registration criteria; incomplete access for observers to all stages of the electoral process; the absence of a unified electoral roll; and limitations on media and freedom of expression, he said.

On the work of the ECP, the EU EOM concludes that, while the technical aspects of the elections were largely well administered, the ECP failed to provide timely information to voters and stakeholders on its decisions, procedures and other information of public interest.

The report also highlighted inadequate voter education, flawed postal voting and a lack of transparency in the delimitation of constituencies and the transmission of results.

Other issues mentioned in the report include: the undue restrictions on freedom of expression which led to considerable media self-censorship; constraints on freedom of assembly; the presence of the armed forces inside polling stations; and the under-representation of women as voters and assembly members.

The report makes 30 recommendations for consideration, the demand to review the Constitution and Elections Act so that any restrictions imposed on the right to stand as a candidate are not subject to vague, moral and arbitrary criteria.

It asked to revise the Elections Act, Election Rules and Codes of Conduct to ensure robust mechanisms for transparency of the ECP. These would include specific time frames for, and the manner of, dissemination of information of public interest, including online.

"Following the elections of 2018, various stakeholders informed the EU EOM of the need to revisit the Elections Act and to engage a new parliamentary committee for additional electoral reforms. We encourage such action to ensure further progress," said Gahler.

The EU EOM was present in Pakistan between June 24 and August 23. It was the largest international observation mission, comprising 122 observers from all 28 EU member states.