Held in Abeyance

No sign of mayoral elections in Karachi as the ECP considers holding LG by-elections first

KARACHI: Three weeks have passed since local government (LG) elections were held in Karachi and Hyderabad divisions of Sindh and the people of these cities are now waiting impatiently for the custodians of the city to take charge and resolve the longstanding issues of these urban centres.

However, there is no sign of mayoral elections at least in Pakistan economic hub—Karachi—as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) plans to first hold by-elections on the eleven seats where polling could not be held due to the demise of the candidates.

Experts believe if the LG by-elections are held before mayoral elections, it can create serious difficulties for the ECP after the upcoming general elections.

They said it is a routine practice that by-elections are held after the parliament elects the leader of the house, ie, the prime minister. They insisted that the same norm applies to the LGs, where a mayor should be elected before by-elections.

The ECP has not yet announced its policy regarding holding by-elections before mayoral elections but the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI)—which received the second highest number of seats in the LG polls in Karachi—has demanded that by-elections should be held urgently.

On February 8, the JI gave a two-day ultimatum to the ECP, asking it to announce the schedule for by-elections to the eleven seats where elections could not be held. It said otherwise the party would hold a protest outside the ECP office in Karachi.

However, the Pakistan People Party (PPP)—which surprised all by securing the highest number of seats in Karachi as well—voiced its concern over the potential move saying it would not only delay the mayoral elections but could also create serious issues for the ECP at the time of the general elections.

The JI does not see any issues if by-elections are held before the mayoral elections.

“We can only put forward our demand for the issuing schedule of the by-elections and we have done that,” said Raja Asif Sultan, the deputy chief of the JI Karachi Chapter.

When asked if the by-election would not further delay the mayoral elections, Sultan said the mayoral elections of 2016 were after a delay of seven and a half months. “It will be better if the mayoral elections are held once all the formalities are completed,” he added.

Meanwhile, hearing on election disputes at the ECP in Islamabad on February 7, remained inconclusive. The next hearing on disputes will be held on February 22.

“At the last hearing, we replied to some of the queries of the ECP. Some issues need further clarification and the ECP has summoned returning officers (ROs) and presiding officers at the next hearing,” he said.

These election disputes are related to the second phase of the LG elections held in the southern districts of Sindh on 15 January. The ECP released final results two weeks ago, according to which the PPP won 91 out of a total 246 seats, while the JI emerged as a close competitor with 85 seats.

The JI won nearly all of its seats in the seven districts of Karachi, where 235 of the total 246 UC seats are located.  Voting was postponed at 11 constituencies due to the death of candidates, while one PPP candidate was elected unopposed.

The PPP had a smooth sailing in Hyderabad where it is in a comfortable position to elect its mayor. But the party faces a tough situation in Karachi, where it won by a thin margin leading to election disputes.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) which came in third position in the LG elections in Karachi securing around 40 seats, also attended the February 7 hearing at the ECP.

Talking to media outside the ECP office, PTI leader Ali Haider Zaidi claimed that the entire LG election was managed by the ROs.

“I have stated this during the hearing. The RO is an employee of the local government. Sindh LG minister was present [at the hearing]; how can you expect an RO to speak in front of the minister?” Zaidi asked.

He said the ECP has asked the ROs to come with documents on February 22. “We hope that the ECP will do justice in the union council elections.”

The election results became controversial soon after polling on January 15.

The JI moved the ECP, complaining that while the JI appeared to be the winning party on six seats according to the Form-11 issued by the ROs, the PPP was shown as the winner of these seats in the final results.

The ECP later suspended the result consolidation process till completion of an inquiry into the JI’s complaint. The ECP has so far held a number of sessions to hear out both sides and examine the documents.  After the last hearing, the JI approached the ECP, claiming that results of another three UCs were altered.

Around nine complaints of the PPP were also heard on February 7.

“Some of these complaints were filed by the PPP candidates who lost by a narrow margin. They applied for a recount, but the formal request was declined by the RO’s,” Sindh LG minister Saeed Ghani told media outside the ECP headquarters.

“A number of our legitimate requests for recount were declined by the RO’s,” he added.

Commenting on some people’s surprise over the PPP’s victory in Karachi, Ghani said the PPP has a vote bank in the city and has been winning from those areas traditionally. “We put in extra effort and our candidates worked extra hard this time.”