ISLAMABAD – Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Monday that new mechanism will be implemented in the next general election in order to ensure transparency.
He revealed that the government had finalised all arrangements to use electronic voting machines in the elections, adding that Science and Technology Minister Shibli Faraz will conduct a practical demonstration of the EVM at the office of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) this week.
Fawad said that the government had assured the ECP of full support in order to hold the General Election 2023 using EVMs.
Speaking outside the ECP office, Adviser to the Prime Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan said that there was no law pertaining to the use of electronic voting machines, adding that the government has brought an ordinance to hold electronic voting in next elections.
He said that the ordinance will also be presented in the Parliament.
He pointed out that elections results are manipulated through returning officers , adding that the government aims at plugging such loopholes.
Earlier, PML-N president and opposition leader in National Assembly (NA) Shahbaz Sharif rejected the suggestion of using electronic voting machine.
In a statement, the PML-N leader said that the whole world has already turned down the application of electronic voting system.
Such kind of important national decisions cannot be implemented on the orders or will of a specific person, he added.
Shehbaz Sharif further said that electoral reforms can only be finalized after mutual consultation.
The reaction came after Prime Minister Imran Khan had invited the opposition to sit with the government for consultation on holding transparent elections in order to strengthen the country’s democracy.
Read more: https://pakobserver.net/govt-unveils-prototype-of-electronic-voting-machine/
