PILDAT Report: Polling management receives the highest score; Result Compilation & Transmission Scores the worst
The overall score of quality of elections 2018 dropped nearly 5% in comparison with 2013.
(WebDesk) - Amid the cry of almost all the political parties of Pakistan, Election Commission of Pakistan has finally announced the official results of Pakistan General Elections 2018. Political parties are complainant against ECP with pre and after poll rigging allegations, delay in results tactics and incorporations in hearing the petitioners crying against the rigging and mandate being theft.
Of the conduct of elections by the election commission of Pakistan, EU observers and FAFEN has already presented their reports.
PILDAT Assessment of conduct and quality of general elections 2018.
PILDAT, an independent political think tank of Pakistan which works to strengthen democracy and democratic institutions has issued their assessment report over the quality and the conduct of elections and the performance of the election commission of Pakistan.
According to the PILDAT assessment on Quality of General Election 2018, polling management receives the highest score; Counting, Result Compilation & Transmission Scores the worst in Assessment of Quality of General Election 2018.
.jpg)
The overall score of quality of General Election 2018 stands at 51.79% which has dropped nearly 5 percentage points from the quality of General Election 2013 assessed to be at 56.76%. Source: PILDAT
The PILDAT Assessment of Quality of General Election 2018 is a continuation of earlier similar assessments that have been carried out by the think tank after General Elections of 2002, 2008 and 2013. Similar assessments in the past assigned the overall score of 37.30% to the quality of General Election 2002 and 40% to the quality of GE 2008. The scores improved for quality of General Election 2013 at56.76% but have dropped again to 51.79% for the quality of General Election 2018.
Polling management receives the highest score; Counting, Result Compilation & Transmission Scores the worst in Assessment of Quality of General Election 2018
The phases of assessment of quality of general elections 2018
The overall score of quality of General Election 2018 stands at 51.79% which has dropped nearly 5 percentage points from the quality of General Election 2013 assessed to be at 56.76%.The quality of General Election 2018 has been assessed on 39 parameters under 4 broad categories of
1) Pre-Poll; 2) Polling; 3) Counting of votes, Compilation & Transmission of Results and 4) Post-Poll phase.
Prepoll
While the quality of Pre-Poll Phase has received an overall score of 50%, it has declined nearly 12 percentage points in comparison to the quality of pre-poll phase of GE 2013 which had received a score of 62.35%.
Also Read: Pakistan General Elections 2018: Is the credibility already lost?
While PILDAT had already carried out analysis of perception of pre-poll fairness in May 2018 terming it Unfair. The score assigned in this assessment has been based on the period between April to July 2018 and in particular is low on the parameters of neutrality of the Federal and Provincial Caretaker Governments, impartiality of the intelligence agencies and independence of the Judiciary.
The score assigned in this assessment has been based on the period between April to July 2018 and in particular is low on the parameters of neutrality of the Federal and Provincial Caretaker Governments, impartiality of the intelligence agencies and independence of the Judiciary. Source: PILDAT
Polling Day
The PILDAT assessment shows improved Polling-day Operations in GE 2018 compared to GE 2013 in terms of training and impartiality of polling staff and overall management of the polling arrangements for citizens inside the polling stations as the process received an overall score of 64% – highest scoring aspect of the quality of GE 2018.
Also Read: EU observers satisfied with general election 2018 preparations
In terms of polling day management, a steady improvement is recorded since 2002 and 2008 when the process received a score of 40% respectively, improving to 44% in 2013 and now to 64% in 2018. This is the aspect of election which requires long preparation on the part of the ECP
Counting, Result Orientation and Transmission
The quality of management of polling day operations, satisfactory arrangements and environment of voting, however, seems to have taken a nose dive in the process of Counting, Result Compilation & Transmission of Results which have received the lowest score of 40%in the assessment. It must be noted that this is not just the lowest score for any single aspect of the quality of General Election 2018 but it is also the lowest score in comparison to the processes adopted in 2002, 2008 and 2013 when the similar process received scores of 43% respectively in 2002 and 2008 and improving to 47% in 2013 General Election which has, in 2018 General Election, plummeted to 40%.
Also Read: Rejected votes of 169 constituencies greater than victory margin: Fafen report
Each parameter under the Counting, Result Compilation & Transmission of Results including strict legal requirements of transparency of compilation of statement of vote count, availability of results to polling agents and display at polling stations, efficiency and accuracy of the transmission of election results from polling stations to returning officers, transparency of consolidation of results at RO level and efficiency and accuracy of transmission of results from ROs to the ECP has been called into question.
Post Poll
The Post-Poll Phase has also seen declining score of 50% compared to the score assigned to the similar process after the GE 2013 which stood at 68%. Again, the assessment of the quality of this process shows that while the lowest score assigned to this process was 40% after General Election of 2002, which saw the worst-of-its-kind post-poll rigging in recent history, the score improved after GE 2008 to 56%, recorded significant further improvements with the score of 68% after General Election 2013 and has now recorded a decline even lower than GE 2008.
This decline in the quality of Post-election score compared to GE 2013 may partly be attributed to the fact that PMLN had gained clear majority in the National Assembly and the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab in GE 2013 and it did not need to make intense efforts to win the support or joining of independent legislators to form the government. In GE 2018, since no party has a clear majority in the National Assembly and the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, PTI and, to a lesser degree, PMLN are making intensive efforts to win support of independent legislators and forming alliances with other parties.
Also Read: Pakistan elections 2018: Imran Khan wins vote but no majority
Reasons for the drop in quality of conduct of elections 2018
This drop in quality is mainly due to poor quality of Pre-poll phase which is largely attributable to the factors lying outside the direct remit of the ECP. Another factor adversely affecting the overall score of GE2018 is the issues reported in Counting of Votes, Compilation of Result both at the Polling Station and Returning Officer’s office and Transmission of Results from Polling Station and from Returning Officer’s Offices resulting in considerable delay in announcing provisional results and questions about the credibility of counting and compilation of results.
PILDAT Recommendations
PILDAT, proposes an urgent, thorough and impartial investigation may be undertaken, a need which even the ECP has at least partially recognised by asking the Cabinet Division of the Government of Pakistan to arrange an investigation into the malfunction of the Result Transmission System (RTS). The proposed commission should investigate the issue and assign responsibility.
