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Thursday, October 10, 2013
Speakers call for special committee on electoral reformsStaff Report
ISLAMABAD: As the country moves into a new electoral cycle and preparations have started for local government elections, it is time for comprehensive electoral reforms. A proactive role by parliament and greater ownership by the ECP of the electoral administration were stressed by participants of a seminar to highlight key findings and recommendations of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Pakistan 2013.
The seminar was arranged by Democracy Reporting International (DRI) under its European Union-funded project on supporting advocacy for electoral reforms in Pakistan. Over 150 representatives of major political parties, civil society, the media, ECP and parliamentarians attended the seminar in Islamabad on Wednesday. Similar workshops were arranged in all four provincial capitals, Multan and Sukkur.
“This series of seminars across Pakistan shows the European Union’s commitment to stay engaged in the electoral reforms agenda and support the strengthening of democracy by reaching out to the Pakistan electoral stakeholders, gather their feedback on the electoral reform priorities and the way forward for implementation of EU EOM’s recommendations,” said head of the European Union Delegation to Pakistan, Ambassador Lars-Gunnar Wigemarkin, in his opening remarks.
He said the EU will continue to support the Election Commission of Pakistan and is also working both with parliament and provincial assemblies to strengthen their capacity.
According to the ambassador, support to a strong and vibrant democracy is the essence of the EU-Pakistan 5-Year Engagement Plan (2012-17), which is enlarging EU areas of cooperation. As a result, the EU-Pakistan partnership has become more political and result oriented.
Former deputy chief observer of the EU EOM to Pakistan Hannah Roberts, who has returned to Pakistan to lead this series of seminars across the country, said, “It is encouraging to see interest in reforms and Pakistan’s international commitments relevant to elections. Generally there seems to be wide agreement on the importance of strengthening the process.”
She added, “We had very constructive discussions on the ground level realities and ways forward at the local, provincial and national levels, for improved electoral processes in Pakistan.” Participants of the seminar discussed a wide range of the EU EOM’s recommendations and concluded that reforms should be implemented in a timely manner. They emphasised the need for formation of a special parliamentary committee on electoral reforms to review related legislation within a framework of international law commitments.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk