WITH the announcement of the schedule, a flurry of election-related activity is taking place that augurs well for timely conduct of the polls and nurturing of the democratic process. The process for submission of nomination that began on Wednesday would conclude today (Friday) giving a broad hint about electoral contests in different constituencies, subject to adjustments till the date a final list is published by the Election Commission. In related developments, the Commission has published an updated list of registered political parties and issued a comprehensive code of conduct aimed at smooth and peaceful electioneering.
Plurality of political parties is a good thing as it offers a vast opportunity to the electorate to make choices both at individual constituencies and national level but the number of 175 as given by the ECP is, in a way, mockery of the system because an overwhelming number of them has only paper existence. Many of them are one man parties having no presence at grassroots level and their registration and mock participation in elections is nothing but a mere burden on the working of the ECP and resources of the country as well as wastage of time and energy. Therefore, there should be clear cut criteria and those not fulfilling the conditions should be penalized and de-registered. As for the code of conduct for the polls, it contains almost the same points as were outlined in previous elections but these assume greater significance in view of steep polarization, a culture of intolerance and abuse and the tendency of playing to the galleries by carrying out verbal attacks at national institutions. Therefore, the real test lies in faithful implementation of and adherence to various dos and don’ts of the code of conduct, which becomes a difficult and complicated task in view of widespread use of information technology and social media. Separate code of conducts have been formulated and released – for national observers, international observers, media and political parties/contesting candidates. The political parties, their leaders and contestants are barred from talking against the judiciary or the armed forces. Normally all parties commit themselves not to indulge in such behaviour but we have seen in the past flagrant violations of the code in this regard. Similarly, the code requires the parties, candidates and election agents to uphold rights of the people as enshrined in the Constitution but here again their rights are trampled during processions, public meetings, use/misuse of loud-speakers and wall chalking which becomes a norm during electioneering. The code also forbids false propaganda and personal attacks as well as use of abusive language against one another. There are reasons to believe that the ECP with its limited staff and resources cannot effectively enforce this aspect of the code particularly when parties and candidates are free to use AI tools including voice cloning to spread malicious propaganda and character assassination of leaders and candidates. However, under the law, the Commission can seek assistance from any department and agency on any matter relating to the smooth, free and transparent conduct of the entire exercise. The requirement that the parties should ensure allocation of at least five percent tickets to women candidates would afford more opportunities to women to make it to the provincial and national legislatures and play their role in policy formulation, legislation and decision-making. The code also expects the candidates would not incite others to violence both during pre-polls campaign and on the polling day but suggests no penalties for violators. Election expense is another aspect of the code that is openly violated without attracting any worthwhile action from the Commission. There are election expenditure limits for constituencies of provincial and national assemblies and the candidates are required to open a separate dedicated account for election-related transactions but these are seldom followed. Under the code, there will be a complete ban on carriage and display of all kinds of weapons and firearms in public meetings and processions as well as on polling day but this too is violated openly in some areas. The code for media is also comprehensive and its faithful implementation could make the electoral exercise smooth and peaceful. In a nutshell, the ability or inability of the Commission to enforce the codes in letter and spirit notwithstanding, orderly conduct of the polls is a noble objective and its realization is the responsibility of all stakeholders.
