The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) has called on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to enhance institutional transparency and accountability which is key to rebuilding public trust in electoral institutions. The observation has been made in PILDAT’s latest report on the Implementation of the ECP’s 3rd Strategic Plan (2019-2023). PILDAT has highlighted its concerns about the ECP’s monitoring mechanisms, the late release of annual reports and the delayed rollout of the 4th Strategic Plan (2024-2028).
The ECP’s 3rd Strategic Plan (2019-2023) contained 11 strategic pillars, which were further divided into 30 goals and 92 strategic actions. These translated to a total of 111 measurable indicators, majority of which laid out a specific task and a deadline for completion. The focus of the strategic plan was both internal, emphasizing the ECP’s own organizational infrastructure, and external, emphasizing electoral management and relationships with stakeholders.
Internally, the strategic pillars focused on institutional development (pillar 3), training and capacity building (pillar 4) and financial management (pillar 6). Externally, the focus was on legal reforms (pillar 1), transparency and public perception (pillar 2), election operations (pillar 5), voter registration (pillar 7), electoral technologies (pillar 8) and election dispute resolution (pillar 9). Gender sensitivity (pillar 10) as well as monitoring and research capabilities (pillar-11) was to be improved internally and externally.
While the ECP’s consistent engagement in strategic planning over the past 15 years should be appreciated, a significant gap needs to be filled when it comes to monitoring and reporting progress on implementation. In response to a request from PILDAT, the ECP shared its progress on implementing the Strategic Plan in September 2023.
The ECP reported an overall 88pc progress on the Strategic Plan in September 2023, while the progress on individual pillars ranged from 69pc to 95pc.
However, the data shared with PILDAT were not detailed progress reports but rather presentations that listed progress on the strategic pillars as percentages and outlined the achievements of each wing of the ECP.
Despite repeated requests for clarification, PILDAT was not able to obtain a clear explanation from the ECP on how the reported percentages were calculated.
The ECP made significant commitments in the Strategic Plan and it is critical that the progress is diligently monitored and shared with the public. For example, under Pillar 7 (Voter Registration and Participation), the ECP committed to reduce the gender gap in electoral rolls to 6pc by 2023.
However, the gap was 7.7pc in December 2023. The ECP did not share any progress on the specific sections pertaining to the electoral gender gap with us. PILDAT has emphasized the need for comprehensive progress reports, as was specified in the 3rd Strategic Plan. These reports should be released and uploaded on the ECP website annually or even more frequently to ensure transparency. While the inclusion of measurable indicators in the 3rd Strategic Plan was a major improvement, future plans should include means of verification (MoVs) so that implementation can be monitored with accuracy.
