THE relationship between democratic stability and national prosperity is highly significant. There are myriad ways how political instability foments economic losses. It disrupts investor’s confidence and results in capital flight from the markets which leads to reduced foreign direct investment (FDI). Additionally, frequent changes in governments lead to different policies and regulations. This creates an unpredictable and unfavourable business environment. Furthermore, protests and strikes that characterize political instability lead to disruption of markets and supply chains. In the international arena, political instability can also strain diplomatic relations and lead to trade disruption, and in extreme cases, sanctions. These fluctuations of diplomatic relations lead to reduced export opportunities as well as a weakened economic position at the global stage. Evidence indicates that political instability adversely affects the GDP by 4-7 percent. Moreover, according to PIDE, Pakistan’s economy suffers 3% of its GDP due to strikes and protests. This economic loss is three times more than what Pakistan spends on social security.
The best example in understanding how democratic stability helps the nation in achieving prosperity and security is the decade of the 90s. We witnessed a great divergence between the fortunes of Pakistan and India in the 90s. While India shrewdly underwent economic reforms under the PM Narasimha Rao’s government, which propelled it to world’s fifth-largest economy, Pakistan saw a disconcerting dance of political instability. The repeated fluctuation of power between the two biggest parties of Pakistan was similar to a demoralizing merry-go-round. This back and forth hampered the formulation, continuation and execution of coherent economic policies that saw Pakistan lose ground economically as well as adversely affecting its security because a vibrant economy is a prerequisite for the security of the nation.
In order to achieve democratic stability, the transparency of elections arises as a cornerstone. The importance of transparent elections for any democracy cannot be overstated and constitute the bedrock of a party’s legitimacy when it comes into power. If the elections are not transparent or are not perceived as transparent by the general populace, democracy loses its meaning and its intended purpose to represent the will of the people is compromised. Pakistan serves as a poignant case where each of the elections, except the elections in 1970, has an asterisk attached to it when it comes to their transparency. This lack of trust in elections has engendered a volatile political landscape that has debilitated Pakistan’s economy and security.
Pakistan is grappling with a plethora of problems such as high inflation, massive unemployment, low growth and an environment characterized by political uncertainty coupled with increasing security threats emanating in the eastern as well as western borders. In this context, today’s elections hold an exceptional importance. The outcome of these elections will decide the trajectory of Pakistan in these crucial times for years to come. Hence, it can’t be overstated how important it is that these elections are seen as transparent by all political actors involved which give legitimacy to any party who comes into power to tackle numerous problems currently faced by the state.
In a recent poll conducted by PIDE, to gauge the public sentiments regarding the upcoming elections, 55% of the respondents expressed concerns citing lack of trust regarding the transparency of the elections. If the majority of the population will not believe in the transparency of elections, the upcoming government will have questions about its legitimacy and credibility from day one, and Pakistan will remain sucked in the vicious cycle where political instability adversely affects its economic position.
Considering the poll results, stakeholders must boost public trust in elections and democratic stability in Pakistan. Actions should include adopting technology like India’s electronic voting machines for transparency, establishing an online portal for voter and candidate complaints and granting unrestricted access to civil society and international organizations like FAFEN and the UN’s Electoral Assistance Division for accountability. The caretaker government must ensure a level playing field for all parties and the Election Commission of Pakistan should communicate effectively with the public about measures taken for free and fair elections.
To conclude, Transparency in elections is vital in ensuring the legitimacy of the democratic process, cultivating public trust by allowing citizens to scrutinize the electoral procedures, detect irregularities, and hold accountable the performance of those in power, thereby upholding the principles of accountability and engendering prosperity. In order to alleviate the public’s distrust of the public in the election, all stakeholders must take measures as mentioned above. This will create a positive environment regarding the upcoming elections as well as engendering political stability, and providing legitimacy and credibility to future government to undertake structural reforms and foreign policy initiatives badly needed for a prosperous Pakistan.
—The writer is a researcher at Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS), Lahore, Pakistan.
views expressed are writer’s own.
