We all know how elections go in our country. In the last two decades, we have witnessed a severe political situation in Pakistan during election days. Most of it was based on the claims of rigging in several districts of the country. Regardless of the wins and losses, it became quite clear that we need major electoral reforms in the country. Will the PTI government be successful in bringing reforms to the electoral process?
In a recent address to the nation, PM Imran Khan revealed great news for the residents of Pakistan. It looks like we will electronic voting in Pakistan in the near future.
Electronic Voting in Pakistan
In a televised address to the nation on Tuesday, PM Khan revealed the news that electoral reforms are in the final stages and will soon be implemented under the consultancy of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). He also mentioned that it is in his plans to devise a system for overseas Pakistanis to cast votes.
“We also want to introduce a system for overseas Pakistanis so that they could cast their votes and become a part of the decision-making process in the country,” PM Khan said.
Can Electronic Voting in Pakistan be Successful?
It is too early to say if the electronic voting system will be successful in the country. PM Khan told that the government had formed a committee under Pervez Khattak to investigate rigging allegations in the 2018 elections. However, the opposition leaders had skipped the committee’s meetings as soon as the first session was conducted. As cited by the PM, he also called on the opposition parties to join forces in forming legislation to accomplish much needed electoral reforms.
The political scenario in the country makes it uncertain if the initiative for electoral reforms will gather any praises. However, if the Election Commission succeeds in implementing electronic voting in Pakistan, it will be a great step to the name of the PTI government.
Electronic Voting in Other Countries
For those who do not know, electronic voting or e-voting system is successfully used in several other countries. The major names in the list include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Brazil, India, Germany, Estonia, France, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, the UK, and several other countries. Pakistan is already late in the race to be a part of this list.
The electronic voting system minimizes the chances of rigging by using electronic signals to record the voter’s choice. Currently, Pakistan uses printed ballot papers during the national elections. However, the printed ballots have created a lot of confusion in the past two elections raising serious concerns about voter’s freedom.
We can hope to expect an update from the federal government as soon as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) completes the consultation process. It is important to mention that it may take some time to implement the new voting system flawlessly. For now, we have not received any further updates regarding when the system will launch. We will keep our readers updated with more details in the future.
