Too important a matter for dawdling
As the government enters the fag end of its tenure, it has to ensure that the elections are seen to be fair for this alone can ensure an orderly transition of power. There is a need to start talks with the opposition on a neutral interim setup and the appointment of a new chief election commissioner. As things stand, the government has yet to tackle the issues.
The choice of a new CEC is the most urgent matter as the incumbent official is set to retire on March 16. Since the office of the CEC is a constitutional post, it cannot remain vacant. In case of a vacancy, an acting chief election commissioner – a serving judge of the Supreme Court – is appointed by the chief justice for a temporary period. Ch Nisar has warned the government that unless the process for setting up a parliamentary committee for the appointment of the CEC is immediately started, his party would not support the 20th amendment bill which has to be passed before February 6 to avoid the disqualification of 29 parliamentarians elected under an incomplete Election Commission. With the relations between the government and PML(N) continuing to worsen, the agreement on a new CEC has become a highly tricky matter. After the 18th amendment, the PM and the leader of the opposition have to agree on three names and send the joint list to a parliamentary committee having equal representation from the government and opposition. In case, the leaders of the house and opposition fail to agree on three names, they have to send their respective lists to the committee. The committee would then choose the person it considers suitable for the post. Differences inside the committee could eventually lead to horse trading and generate bad blood.
Opposition parties have been pressing the government to make the EC a truly independent body and the appointment of a CEC widely seen to be neutral is the first step in the direction. There is a likelihood of the entire opposition including Imran Khan getting united in case they witness a foul play. The country cannot afford political turmoil, including strikes and marches. There is a need for the government to start the process for the creation of the parliamentary committee and seek inputs from all stakeholders to agree on a name acceptable to all.