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FAFEN seeks federal guidelines for LG elections
ISLAMABAD: The federal government must issue guidelines to provinces for the protection of constitutional rights and entitlements of voters and candidates in the Provincial Local Government Acts (PLGAs) and clarify the role and authority of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the conduct of local government (LG) elections, says Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), a coalition of 30 non-government organizations established in 2006, in a press release issued on Sunday.
While the provincial autonomy as defined in the constitution must be protected, FAFEN believes the federal guidelines will help provinces amend their LG acts to bring uniformity on the question of citizens’ electoral rights.
Calling the provincial legislations on the subject confusing, FAFEN says the LG elections will continue to face one technical obstacle after another in the absence of clarity on election-related matters.
It is in this view that FAFEN has proposed a federal framework legislation for the conduct of LG elections covering minimum standards and guidelines to provinces on critical election-related matters. Such guidelines will also clear the existing confusions, mostly technical in nature, that have so far delayed the conduct of elections in three provinces.
Such a legislation is also necessary as Article 140-A (2) of the constitution holds the ECP responsible for holding local government elections but restricts the ECP through Article 222 to only function under acts enacted by the parliament. In the absence of clear legal guidance, the ECP is being required to function under laws enacted by the provincial assemblies.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk