- ECP Must Provide Answers and Rebuild Trust in Electoral Process: PILDAT
The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) has released its assessment of the 2024 general elections indicating a concerning decline in fairness scores compared to previous election cycles.
Overall fairness of the 2024 general elections in Pakistan received a score of 49% which is three percentage points lower than the score received for the 2018 general elections.
The fairness assessment scores for the 2013 and 2018 elections stood at 57% and 52% respectively.
Overall, these scores, particularly the steady decline in them since 2013, are emblematic of the weakening of the democratic processes in Pakistan and they underscore the urgent need to restore public confidence in the electoral system.
To address these challenges, the PILDAT has recommended enhancing transparency and accountability measures throughout the electoral process.
The PILDAT has called on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to conduct a thorough investigation into the delays and deficiencies observed during the 2024 general elections, particularly in result compilation, transmission and consolidation.
- The 2024 general election’s fairness score plummeted to 49% – the lowest since 2013 – signaling a troubling trend in election integrity
- Despite advancements, the pre-poll phase has stalled at a 50% fairness score since 2018, indicating persistent pre-election issues
- Polling day’s voting process score dipped to 58% in 2024 from 64% in 2018, yet showed a rise from 44% in 2013, reflecting fluctuating levels of voter experience
- No progress in result management since 2018 with the score stuck at 40% – highlighting a critical need for inquiry into EMS operation
- The post-poll satisfaction hit a historic low matching the 2002 score of 40% pointing to increasing public distrust in electoral outcomes
Comparative Assessment of the Overall Quality of General Elections in Pakistan
PILDAT’s Findings
The PILDAT Assessment of the Quality of General Election 2024 is a continuation of its earlier general election assessment reports that it has published every election cycle since 2002.
The 2024 assessment report is based on its independent analysis alongside a questionnaire that was scored by a cross-section of civil society, comprising politicians, lawyers, activists, academics, retired bureaucrats and retired military officials as well as politically aware youth.
In this report, the PILDAT has highlighted the following key issues which have negatively impacted the quality of the 2024 general elections:
- During the pre-poll phase, the PILDAT observed considerable delays in scheduling of the election, political repression, lack of impartiality from Caretaker Governments and State institutions and worsening law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
- On polling day, the suspension of mobile phone and internet services not only compromised the Election Management System (EMS) but also created problems for public participation in the electoral process.
- After polling was completed, the delay in the announcement of the provisional results beyond the deadline fixed in Section 13(3) of the Elections Act, 2017, prompted serious questions about the credibility of election.
- The widespread allegations of discrepancy between Forms-45 and Form-47 have also added to the concerns about the credibility of the election.
- The delay in the publishing of Forms 45, 46, 48 and 49 on the ECP website – a violation of Section 95 (10) of Elections Act, 2017 – has further damaged the credibility of the election.
- Lastly, the allocation of reserved seats to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) continued to be a major point of contention for 25 days since the polling day while reserved seats were allocated to all other political parties.
