Pakistan is all set to hold its 12th general elections today (Thursday) as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has completed all the preparations for the polls.
The terrorist threat looms large in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces making the electioneering process quite sensitive.
Pakistan is currently on a shaky economic road as its economy continues to depend on the bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) amid political turmoil and security threats.
Political uncertainty
The elections are being seen as a source to bring stability on the political front in the country to stabilize the economy, however, pre-poll rigging and lack of level playing complaints from rival parties have further soured the political environment.
The unfortunate events of the May 9 riots and then the subsequent crackdown on one of the most popular parties of the country Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf have put a question mark on the credibility of the elections.
PTI founder Imran Khan has already been convicted four times in different cases with over 200 cases being registered against him and the party is out of the election race after a Supreme Court decision deprived it of its iconic election symbol “bat”. However, the PTI-backed independent candidates are trying to regain the lost ground but it looks an uphill task as well.
The three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif is the clear frontrunner for the coveted post again after his dramatic return from self-exile from England and subsequent exoneration from all the convictions and cases as well as the lifting of a lifetime ban from contesting the polls.
His rival-apparent and Pakistan People’s Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for the post though gained political mileage in the recent electioneering yet his party lag behind by leaps and bounds to pose a serious threat to Sharif.
However, the real threat to Sharif is from the ardent followers of PTI who are hell-bent on giving him a run for his money and braving all the odds to put a dent into his quest for the premiership.
This situation may also force his party PML-N to go for a coalition government with the help of other smaller political factions if he fails to achieve a simple majority.
However, a weak government will worsen the economic condition of Pakistan as it needs a strong government that can take decisive steps to get the country out of the dire straits.
Electoral process
According to the Election Commission, voting will take place from 8 am to 5 pm without any break in 855 constituencies of national and provincial assemblies across the country.
All the voters would need to present original Identity Cards to exercise their right to vote and other papers including passport and driving license will be admissible. However, the voters can cast their votes on expired CNICs as well.
However, polling will not be held in four constituencies due to the death of candidates. These constituencies include one for the National Assembly i.e. NA 8 one for Punjab Assembly i.e. PP266 and two constituencies of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, PK 22 and PK 91.
The Election Commission said that polling will be held on 265 seats of the National Assembly, which is the lower house of the parliament, and 590 seats of the four provincial assemblies. For provincial assemblies, the polling will be held in 296 out of 297 seats of the Punjab Assembly, 130 seats of the Sindh Assembly, 128 out of 130 seats of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 51 seats of the Balochistan Assembly.
Youth holds the key
A total of 128.6 million registered voters, including 69.3 million men and 59.3 million women, will exercise their right to vote in these elections. The youth vote is expected to play a crucial role, as 44 per cent of the voters are below the age of 35. The second largest group of voters are between the ages of 36 and 45, constituting 22.3 per cent of the electorate.
The Election Commission has printed 260 million watermarked ballot papers with special security features to ensure transparency and credibility of the polls.
Record number of candidates
More than 17,000 candidates are vying for the general seats of national and provincial assemblies, out of which 5,000 are contesting for the National Assembly and 12,000 for the provincial assemblies. More than 11,000 independent candidates are also in the fray.
The ECP has also allocated 60 seats for women, 10 seats for minorities in the National Assembly, and 128 seats for women and 23 seats for minorities in the provincial assemblies.
Among the candidates, there are 882 women and four transgenders who are contesting for the national and provincial assembly seats. There are 312 women competing for the National Assembly and 570 for the provincial assemblies.
50 per cent of polling stations declared sensitive
The elections will also witness a high level of security arrangements as nearly half of the polling stations across the country have been declared sensitive or highly sensitive by the ECP. Out of the total 90,675 polling stations, 46,065 are sensitive and 18,437 are highly sensitive. The ECP has deployed more than 800,000 security personnel, including army and paramilitary forces, to ensure a peaceful and transparent voting process.
The most populous province of Punjab has the highest number of polling stations (49,495), followed by Sindh (17,747), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (12,634) and Balochistan (10,799). In Punjab, 12,580 polling stations are sensitive and 6,040 are highly sensitive. In Sindh, 6,545 polling stations are sensitive and 6,524 are highly sensitive. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 6,166 polling stations are sensitive and 4,143 are highly sensitive. In Balochistan, only 961 polling stations are normal, while 2,337 are sensitive and 1,730 are highly sensitive.
The ECP has also established more than 276,000 polling booths across the country to facilitate the voters.
Security measures have been ramped up significantly, with over 700,000 police, rangers, and military personnel deployed nationwide. The Pakistan Army stands ready to act as a Quick Response Force.
With the stage set and the nation poised for change, all eyes are on Pakistan as it embarks on yet another chapter of its democratic journey, amidst hopes for a peaceful and fair electoral process.