KEY POINTS
- Judicial decisions, while legally grounded, were politically consequential, contributing to an uneven playing field that undermined electoral equity.
- The ECP was praised for inclusivity efforts, but criticised for flawed administration.
- The report recommends urgent structural reforms to restore public trust and strengthen democratic institutions.
The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) in its report on Pakistan’s 2024 general elections has called for urgent reforms and observed that improvement of electoral processes would depend on the broader political conditions in which elections are held.
“Improvement of electoral processes will fundamentally depend on the broader political conditions in which elections are held, and on the ability of political parties, the ECP and the judiciary to be able to act free from outside pressures, and with a sense of common national purpose,” COG said in its report on last year’s general elections.
It highlighted the role of key democratic institutions, the judiciary, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), and the media to ensure credibility of the electoral process.
The 161-page report points to a combination of legal rulings, administrative decisions, and media practices that, according to COG, cumulatively tilted the playing field for some political outfits.
Judiciary and Legal Framework: Inconsistencies with Deep Impact
The report dedicates significant attention to what it calls “jurisprudential inconsistencies” in critical legal decisions that shaped the electoral landscape.
Most notably, the Supreme Court’s reversal of the lifetime disqualification ban for politicians and its support for the ECP’s decision to revoke a major political party’s election symbol were flagged as legally justifiable but politically consequential.
“These decisions, when viewed in isolation, may find legal grounding,” the COG observed. “However, taken together, they had a severe impact on the fairness of the electoral environment.”
The report suggests that the judiciary’s role, while grounded in legal procedure, lacked a broader interpretation that would safeguard the spirit of electoral equity and maintain the appearance of institutional neutrality, essential to public trust in democratic processes.
ECP Praised for Inclusion, Criticized for Administration
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) received mixed reviews. On one hand, the COG commended the ECP’s Gender and Social Inclusion Wing, noting its efforts had reduced the gender voter registration gap from 12% in 2013 to 7.7% in 2024, a notable achievement.
The commission’s initiatives to include youth, transgender individuals, and religious minorities were also acknowledged, along with the introduction of a gender harassment hotline during the elections.
However, the ECP’s administrative decisions, especially concerning candidate registration and symbol allocation, came under criticism.
The COG said these decisions, while rooted in law, had consequences that were “vastly disproportionate to the violations they sought to address,” and directly affected the ability of certain political actors to compete fairly.
Furthermore, the critical documents used to record and compile vote counts by polling agents and those submitted to Returning Officers had discrepancies.
The election night shutdown of cellular services was also flagged for reducing transparency and the efficient transmission of results.
Media: Between Bias and Censorship
Pakistan’s media landscape, particularly the state-run broadcaster PTV, was criticized for a lack of balance in its election coverage. The report states that PTV and some mainstream outlets favoured certain political parties, specifically PML-N and PPP, while underreporting or censoring others altogether.
The publication of campaign-style advertisements on the eve of the vote by select newspapers, raised questions about media independence, it added.
Additionally, the report highlighted a culture of impunity for violence against journalists, leading to widespread self-censorship, further restricting the information available to voters.
Electoral Integrity Undermined by Stakeholder Failures
Collectively, the COG report paints a picture of an electoral process that, while not entirely devoid of merit, suffered from institutional failings, lack of transparency, and selective enforcement of laws.
Despite these concerns, the group acknowledged the enormous democratic potential of Pakistan, pointing to an engaged civil society, youth participation, and a resilient media sector.
“The potential of Pakistan’s democracy is enormous,” the report noted. “But it requires urgent structural and political reforms to realize that promise.”
Delayed Publication and Calls for Reform
The report, submitted to the Commonwealth Secretary General in November 2024, was only made public now, nearly a year later, after mounting pressure from political stakeholders and independent media outlets.
While the COG maintained the delay was due to procedural backlog, some critics argue the sensitive nature of the findings may have contributed to the hesitation.
The final report includes comprehensive recommendations targeting reforms in electoral law, judicial interpretations, media regulation, and election administration.
These, the group stressed, are essential to restore public trust in Pakistan’s democratic institutions and ensure future elections are genuinely competitive, transparent, and inclusive.
