Independent observer monitoring Pakistan elections highlight grey areas in poll process

An independent watchdog monitoring Pakistan elections on Saturday highlighted various grey areas in the recently held polls noting the failure of presiding officers in providing Form 45 to observers at 29 per cent of the polling stationsForm 45 commonly referred to as the Result of the Count form is a crucial record in the Pakistani electoral process which is intended to uphold openness and accountability by documenting and disclosing the outcomes of the voting procedure at a particular polling placeFree and Fair Election Network FAFEN spokesperson Musarrat Qadeem quoting the initial report on the election in a press conference said The failure to display copies of Form 45 as required in 29 per cent of polling stations was a notable oversightQadeem also criticised the delay in the release of poll results and the suspension of internet and mobile services on election dayShe asserted that the complaints about elections should be addressedThe Election Commission must promptly address and resolve candidates complaints as timely resolution is crucial for maintaining electoral credibility she addedQadeem said the turnout was 48 per cent Despite these challenges over 50 million voters participated in the February 8 elections she saidShe also said the elections were transparent at the level of polling stations but expressed doubts about fairness at the stage of compiling results by returning officers ROsQadeem also commended the Election Commission of Pakistan for holding the elections despite criticism which showed its resilience This election was the countrys largest endeavour she observedFAFEN had posted 5664 observers across the country and reported based on their findings that the Presiding Officers failed to provide Form 45 to observers at 29 per cent polling stationsThe spokesperson said that access was denied at RO offices which hindered the transparent observations monitoringShe also noted that the margin of rejected votes was higher than the winning margin in 25 constituenciesFAFENs findings underscored challenges in the electoral process urging thorough examination and improvement for future pollsSeveral countries including the US the UK and the European Union showed concern that the Pakistani military had been rigging the justheld general elections to prop up its candidate and deny the victory secured by jailed former prime minister Imran KhanMatthew Miller US State Department spokesperson said We condemn electoral violence restrictions on the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms including attacks on media workers and restrictions on access to the Internet and telecommunication services and are concerned about allegations of interference in the electoral process Claims of interference or fraud should be fully investigatedDavid Cameron the UK Foreign Secretary said We recognise serious concerns raised about the fairness and lack of inclusivity of the elections We regret that not all parties were formally permitted to contest the elections and that legal processes were used to prevent some political leaders from participation and to prevent the use of recognisable party symbolsPeter Stano Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union said We regret the lack of a level playing field due to the inability of some political actors to contest the elections restrictions to freedom of assembly freedom of expression both online and offline restrictions of access to the internet as well as allegations of severe interference in the electoral process including arrests of political activistsWe call on all political actors in Pakistan to engage in a peaceful and inclusive dialogue aiming at the formation of a stable government and to respect human rights in line with the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan as well as with international treaties to which Pakistan is party Stano saidPakistans general elections were held on Thursday and the counting began soon after with the hope that the majority of the 265 contested seats in the National Assembly would be available by Friday morningPTIbacked independence candidates won the most number of seats in the National Assembly as per the results announcement by the Election Commission of PakistanAccording to the latest data from the Election Commission of Pakistan the counting of 253 seats has been completed Independent candidates a vast majority of them backed by Khans Pakistan TehreekeInsaf PTI party were at the top with 99 seatsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever