Open ballot ordinance for Senate polls reflects govt’s panic: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said the promulgation of an ordinance for the open ballot in Senate elections is proof of panic which shows the government has no trust in its members.

Bilawal Bhutto while addressing a press conference said that the government is panic over the decision of PDM’s long march is in front of the whole country.

The PPP chairman said that Imran Khan making the Senate election disputed. Bilawal alleged that the government wants to rig the election by using every trick.

He claimed that the government has adopted an undemocratic attitude over the matter, adding that they brought the matter to the parliament when a presidential reference was already under the hearing of the Supreme Court.

Bilawal said the government has not had a serious discussion with any party. “If the decision had been taken at the right time, the legislation would have been passed. The government has sent a reference to the Supreme Court alleging that the government was trying to deprive the people of their rights,” he added. He said his party also wants electoral reforms, however, not only for a single election.

“There are many ways to remove the government including no-confidence motion which is a democratic process to remove the Prime Minister. We are using our democratic weapon, protest”, said Bilawal.

It is worth mentioning here, President Dr Arif Alvi has signed an ordinance, approving an amendment to the Election Act, 2017 for holding the upcoming Senate polls through an open ballot.

According to details, the development comes after the federal cabinet approved a summary to amend the election act through the presidential ordinance.

The approval was taken from the cabinet through a circulation summary because there is not much time left for the electoral reforms as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced to issue the schedule for the Senate elections on February 11.

The Elections (Amendment) Ordinance 202, shared by Information Minister Shibli Faraz on Twitter, stated that the Senate and National Assembly are not in session and the President is satisfied that circumstances exist which render the ordinance necessary to take immediate action.

According to the document, the ordinance shall come into effect at once and extend to the whole of Pakistan. In the Elections Act, 2017 (XXXIII of 2017) in section 81, in sub-section (1), for the word and the expression subject to section 122, and shall be substituted.

“In the said Act, in section 122, in sub-section (6), for the full stop at the end. a colon shall be substituted and thereafter. 

According to the Act, “Provided that in case the Supreme Court of Pakistan gives an opinion in Reference No 1 of 2021 filed under Article 186 of the Constitution that elections for the members of Senate do not fall within the purview of Article 226 of the Constitution.”

The poll for elections for members of the Senate to be held in March 2021 and thereafter shall be conducted by the Commission through an open and identifiable ballot.

“Provided further that after the elections for members of Senate, if the head of the political party requests the Commission to show the ballot cast by any voting member of his party the Commission shall show the same to the head of the political party or his nominee,” read the ordinance. In the said Act, in section 185, for the word “an”, the expression “subject to section 122, a” shall be substituted, the ordinance added.