PTI plans to amend constitution for open voting in Senate polls

ISLAMABAD   -   The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Thursday announced to move a constitutional amendment bill in the parliament next week to make open voting in the Senate elections and to give dual nationals of Pakistani origin right to contest the elections.

Addressing a press conference along with Minister for Information Senator Shibli Faraz, Advisor to PM on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan said the government would introduce the bill containing three major amendments in the Constitution. 

“This constitutional amendment bill is part of the election reforms package prepared by the PTI for the first time in the political history of the country after a series of meetings with Prime Minister Imran Khan.”

The reforms package would ensure transparency in the Senate election and give right to overseas dual national Pakistanis to contest the election, he said. 

Babar recalled that Senate elections in the past were made controversial due to purchase of votes and corruption.

Explaining about the three proposed amendments, he said that an amendment would be made in Article 59(2) of the Constitution to make the voting in Senate election “open” instead of polling through single transferable vote. The second amendment has been proposed in the Article 63(1) (c) which defines disqualifications to contest the election and this would enable dual nationals to contest the upcoming Senate elections and elections of National Assembly and provincial assemblies, he explained.

In case a dual national Pakistani wins an election, he would have to renounce his foreign citizenship. If he or she will lose the election, the dual nationality could be retained, he added.

Through the third amendment in Article 226, the Senate election has been added along with election of procedure of PM and or other positions, he said adding that the Article says that election of PM and other positions will be held “open and through identifiable votes.”

The advisor said the proposed constitutional amendment bill will be a test case for all political elite of Pakistan within parliament, either having low or high number of seats, as they had been demanding fair election for decades. “Since the passage of 1975 Election Act, no political party had never made any legislation to make the election process fair because every government always get benefits of the foul play by buying the disgruntled elements.”

“We have some information that rates have been fixed for Senate election (due in March this year),” he said adding that now rates were being fixed in Punjab contrary to the past practice when the same was done in smaller provinces. He said that votes were sold and conscience was bought in the history to make controversial the House of Federation. “The introduction of reforms package in parliament will make it clear who in the opposition supported fair elections and wanted to stop the buying of votes and horse-trading and who wanted otherwise,” he continued.

Babar Awan said Prime Minister Imran Khan had made it clear that irrespective of the fact of his party’s strength in the parliament, they would pursue the electoral reforms and called it a “national agenda.”

He further argued that a practical road map for accountability had been given to the political parties in the parliament to stop the horse-trading and buying of votes in elections. PTI is first party and Imran Khan is the first PM who wanted open voting instead of selling conscience.”

He recalled that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and former PM Benazir Bhutto had signed the Charter of Democracy in May 2006 whose Article 23 stated that votes for Senate and indirect seats should be open (through show of hand) and through identifiable votes to prevent corruption and floor crossing.  

He said the opposition parties did not support the presidential reference for transparent elections in the Senate.

Responding to a question, he said that the decision was not a political move of PTI rather “it is an agenda of democracy” and invited the opposition parties to support the government in undertaking electoral reforms.

He said the latest report of Transparency International was a proof of another corruption of PML-N government as it did not mention the name of PTI government.

The advisor also said talks would continue with the opposition only in the parliament on matters of national importance.

Speaking on the occasion, Information Minister Senator Shibli Faraz said the PTI government was making all-out efforts to ensure transparency in the upcoming Senate elections. “The Senate elections always remained controversial due to horse-trading and sale and purchase of votes, and change of loyalties, and that elected lot unluckily used to have no moral standing.”

PTI has always advocated for just and fair elections and is ready to pay any price to get this destination, the information minister said. In the last Senate election, PTI had expelled its 20 sitting MPAs from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the suspicion that they crossed the floor, he added.

Senator Shibli said that it was an opportunity for the opposition to make successful this move though government had no high hopes from it.