Elections in Pakistan May 11 General Elections

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Elections in Pakistan May 11 General Elections Elections in Pakistan May 11 General Elections Frequently Asked Questions Europe and Asia International Foundation for Electoral Systems 1850 K Street, NW | Fifth Floor | Washington, D.C. 20006 | www.IFES.org May 6, 2013 Table of Contents Who will Pakistanis vote for on May 11, 2013? ....................................................................................... 1 What is the composition of the National Assembly?............................................................................... 1 What are the compositions of the provincial assemblies? ...................................................................... 1 What are the terms of the National Assembly and provincial assemblies? ............................................ 2 What is the electoral system in Pakistan? ............................................................................................... 2 What is the difference between the Election Commission and the Election Commission of Pakistan? . 2 Who is eligible to vote?............................................................................................................................ 3 How many people are registered to vote? .............................................................................................. 3 How was the electoral roll compiled for the 2013 general elections? .................................................... 4 How was the electoral roll for the 2013 general elections verified? ....................................................... 4 What will the electoral roll look like on Election Day? ............................................................................ 5 Why are Ahmadi on a separate electoral roll? ........................................................................................ 5 How are polling stations established? ..................................................................................................... 6 How are election officials selected? ........................................................................................................ 6 What is the official campaign period? ..................................................................................................... 6 What codes of conduct are in place for the 2013 general elections? ..................................................... 7 What is the process at the polling station? ............................................................................................. 7 What is the plan for election observation? ............................................................................................. 7 What special measures are in place to help voters with disabilities? ..................................................... 8 What is the purpose of the caretaker Cabinet? ....................................................................................... 8 How are the caretaker Prime Minister and chief ministers appointed? ................................................. 8 When will results be declared? ................................................................................................................ 9 How are election disputes settled after results are announced? .......................................................... 10 Resources ............................................................................................................................................... 11 Disclosure: These FAQs reflect decisions made by the Pakistani elections authorities as of May 6, 2013, to the best of our knowledge. This document does not represent any IFES policy or technical recommendations. Elections in Pakistan: May 11 General Elections Frequently Asked Questions Who will Pakistanis vote for on May 11, 2013? The 2013 general elections will be for the National Assembly and the four provincial assemblies in Pakistan. What is the composition of the National Assembly? The National Assembly (lower house) has 342 seats. Political parties file lists of candidates for reserved seats for women and for non-Muslims prior to the elections. These reserved seats are then allocated to political parties in direct proportion to the number of general seats they obtained in the province, for reserved women’s seats, and, nationally, for non-Muslim seats. The breakdown is as follows:1 Khyber Federal Category Punjab Sindh Balochistan FATAs2 Total Pakhtunkhwa Capital General 148 61 35 14 12 2 272 Women 35 14 8 3 -- -- 60 Non-Muslims -- -- -- -- -- -- 10 Total 183 75 43 17 12 2 342 What are the compositions of the provincial assemblies? Provincial assembly seats for the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Balochistan total 728. The number of seats varies from province to province depending on population. Political parties file lists of candidates for reserved seats for women and for non-Muslims prior to the elections. These reserved seats are then allocated to political parties in direct proportion to the number of general seats they obtained in the province, for reserved women’s seats, and, nationally, for non-Muslim seats. The breakdown is as follows:3 Sindh Balochistan Category Punjab Assembly KPK Assembly Assembly Assembly General Seats 297 130 99 51 Women 66 29 22 11 Non-Muslims 8 9 3 3 Total 371 168 124 65 1 Article 51, Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. 2 The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATAs) comprise seven tribal agencies (districts) and six frontier regions, and are directly governed by Pakistan's federal government through a special set of laws called the Frontier Crimes Regulations. The territory is almost exclusively inhabited by the Pashtuns. 3 Article 106, Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Page 1 of 11 Elections in Pakistan: May 11 General Elections Frequently Asked Questions What are the terms of the National Assembly and provincial assemblies? Both assemblies have five-year terms from the date of their first meeting. The National Assembly completed its five-year term on March 16, 2013. All provincial assemblies were dissolved within three days of the National Assembly to facilitate simultaneous elections. What is the electoral system in Pakistan? Three different electoral systems are used in Pakistan. The electoral system for the National Assembly is based on single-member geographic constituencies in which members are elected by direct vote through a first-past-the-post system, also known as a simple majority. Reserved seats for women and non-Muslims are filled through an indirect proportional representation list system. Political parties file their lists of candidates for reserved seats with the Election Commission of Pakistan prior to the election. After the results for general seats are finalized, reserved women’s seats are distributed to parties relative to the number of general seats secured in each of the provinces. Non- Muslim seats are allocated to political parties in proportion to the overall number of general seats secured. 4 Members of the Senate are elected by an electoral college through a system of proportional representation by a single, transferrable vote.5 The Electoral College has members from the National Assembly and provincial assemblies. Members from the National Assembly elect Senators from the Islamabad Capital Territory and Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Electoral College members from the provincial assemblies elect Senators from the provinces. What is the difference between the Election Commission and the Election Commission of Pakistan? The Election Commission consists of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and four members responsible for conducting elections.6,7 The Election Commission is an independent, constitutional entity charged with organizing and conducting the election. This body must ensure the election is honest, just, fair and in accordance with the law. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is an independent, constitutional entity responsible for assisting the Election Commission in implementing its policies and decisions. The CEC is required to be a sitting or retired Supreme Court Justice, or one whom, at the time of his/her retirement as judge of a High Court, was qualified to become a judge of the Supreme Court. All members of the Election Commission are to be retired judges of High Courts, with one from each 4 Article 51, Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. 5 Article 54, Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. 6 Article 218, Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. 7 The Election Commission Order, 2002. Page 2 of 11 Elections in Pakistan: May 11 General Elections Frequently Asked Questions province. The CEC and members are appointed for five years by the President through a consultative parliamentary process. The ECP has offices throughout the country at provincial, divisional and district levels. The ECP is headed by a Secretary who is stationed in Islamabad. Provincial election commissioners supervise election work at the provincial level. They are assisted by regional election commissioners and district/agency election commissioners at the lowest level. Who is eligible to vote? All Pakistani nationals 18 years or older who possess a national identity card, live in an electoral area8 and not declared of unsound mind by a court, are eligible to vote.9 How many people are registered to vote? There are about 86.2 million registered voters nationwide. Of those, approximately 37.6 million (44%) are women. The table below details the number of registered male and female voters in
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