Pakistan: Political parties asked to ensure women representation in general elections

Ahead of the much awaited February 8 elections, political parties have been urged to provide “mandatory” 5 per cent participation of women candidates on general seats. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ordered all political parties involved on Sunday to ensure that, following the distribution of election emblems, there is a statutory 5% representation of female candidates for general seats. This order is based on Section 206 of the Elections Act, 2017. Additionally, the political parties were mandated by the electoral watchdog to provide the list of male and female candidates for general seats to them within a five-day period. Yesterday was a busy day for the top electoral organization as they wrapped off the important process of assigning electoral insignia to the political parties who have registered. The struggling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which is fervently attempting to reclaim its iconic “bat” emblem, is facing a pending ruling from the Supreme Court, which has caused the institution to repeatedly prolong the deadline for symbol allocation. Following a full day of hearings, a three-judge panel led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and consisting of Justices Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Musarrat Hilali announced their unanimous decision. Only a few days before the general elections, the top court ruled that the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) January 10 decree was “null and void,” depriving the erstwhile ruling party of its “iconic” political symbol—the bat. Any political party that wants to win elections needs to have an electoral symbol so that people know who to vote for on election day. Since the PTI currently lacks a united symbol, this could cause uncertainty among the public and cost it votes. The electoral body completed the process of allocating symbols late on Saturday night in response to the judgment, allowing it to move on to the next round of the upcoming elections. According to plan, the next stage would provide more clarity over which of their final contenders would participate in the pivotal election. The general elections are scheduled for February 8.