Proofs of Unlawful Changes in Polling Schemes at 11th Hour by ROs (written by a PTI Volunteer, Waqar Qureshi) ***************************************************************************** 1. PILDAT Report: -------------------------- The list of polling stations should be announced 45 days before the poll. It was also noticed that the ECP arbitrarily changed the polling scheme in some constituencies about 24 hours before the polls without any intimation to voters. This resulted in a huge chaos on the day of poll. There should be no last minute changes in the polling scheme. The current laws provide for this plan; its strict compliance needs to be ensured by the ECP. . Source: Page # 9, pildat.org/publications/publication/elections/AgendaforElectoralReformsinPakistan_After2013GeneralElectionJuly2013.pdf ***************************************************************************** 2. FAFEN Report: ------------------------- Examples of problems reported from around the country by FAFEN observers include 74 cases in which observers were barred from polling stations, 13 cases of violence against observers and 78 other violent incidents. Observers also reported at least 62 unauthorized changes in the polling scheme, including womens polling booths not being set up. . Source: fafen.org/site/v6/press-releases/preliminary_statement_on_general_election_2013_2013_05_13_1278 ***************************************************************************** 3. EU Report: -------------------------------------------------------------- Furthermore, there was a lack of ECP management control over polling staff, with ROs making changes so those who worked on election day were not necessarily those who had been trained. FAFEN, amongst others, noted that such last minute changes were made to polling staff, resulting in untrained staff working in polling stations. These late changes without Commission approval are in contradiction to the law, lacked transparency and risk raising stakeholder suspicions about why such changes were made. Such last minute changes also risk polling staff being disenfranchised if they were appointed after the 3 May deadline for postal ballots. Without centralised information made available on these changes in staff it is not possible to assess the scale or impact of these alterations. Full information gathering by the ECP on the extent and reasons for all change in polling staff would help determine the magnitude, nature and possible impact of this problem, as well as identification of possible mitigating measures for the future. Some changes in staff may have been due to staff concerns about the personal security risks involved in working in polling stations, for example teachers in Baluchistan reportedly initially refused to work. RO directed changes to the polling scheme, which lists all stations and numbers of registered voters, were also undertaken at the last moment contrary to the law, which requires finalisation of polling stations 15 days before election day. This is problematic in a number of ways, including in regards to ballot accountability, for provision of a means to examine turnout and for organisation of agents, observers and voters. It is not clear how voters were informed of such alterations to their polling venue; the ECP SMS system did not incorporate the last minute changes of polling locations, thus some voters may have been misinformed. These changes, and lack of ECP central information on the matter, meant that the ECP was not in full control and there was room for mistrust over why and for whose benefit changes were being made. Neither did the ECP appear able to retrospectively gather full information on where polling took place. . Source: Page number 31 and 32, eueom.eu/files/pressreleases/english/eu-eom-pakistan-2013-final-report_en.pdf *****************************************************************************
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 21:08:49 +0000
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