ISLAMABAD – Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi on Monday said there should be no doubt regarding the conduct of the general elections on the 8th of next month.
Murtaza Solangi emphasized that the people will exercise their right to vote as envisioned in the constitution. He was addressing an event in Islamabad on Monday.
Solangi expressed regret over the unwarranted doubts cast on the election process, emphasizing that it is clearly stated in the preamble of the constitution that the country will be governed by elected representatives.
The Information Minister said there should be a discussion on the fundamental issues faced by the country, including those related to the economy, foreign policy, population explosion, health, and education. He expressed confidence that we will move towards addressing these issues.
The Information Minister also emphasized democracy within political parties.
On other hand, the sources said that the results of the elections scheduled for February 8 would be announced on the night of February 9 at 1 am. On the day of the elections, all arrangements would be made to send results from polling stations across the country to the Election Commission on time. Under this, three data entry operators would be provided for each returning officer in all constituencies.
The sources said that the Election Management System (EMS) would be used in the 2024 elections. The reason for shifting from the RTS system was that it was a single data entry system at a time, causing delays in receiving results.
Therefore, the sources said that technology would be extensively utilized to ensure the 2024 elections are fair, transparent, and unbiased.
For this purpose, fiber optics facilities would be made available for areas, and Wi-Fi devices would also be provided as an alternative.
According to the sources, the Election Commission successfully experimented with the Election Management System (EMS) in all four provinces.
The Election Commission has tested the EMS at the offices of Regional Election Commissioners and District Election Commissioners in various districts. The new EMS system has been prepared, taking into account the latest requirements. The results would be sent through the EMS both on the internet and without the internet. Presiding officers would send the results of their polling stations to returning officers, who would then send the results to the Election Commission digitally and manually after preparing them.