EU’s subtle warning
Considering how election irregularities, and related agitation, have hovered over the present administration, the government should lend a serious ear to the recommendations of the EU’s Electoral Follow-up Mission. That half way into the cycle – which followed one of the country’s most controversial elections ever – the Mission has found numerous shortcomings, including ‘inadequate legal frameworks, reduced transparency, lack of confidence in ROs, etc’, says a lot about the government’s attitude towards electoral transparency. And since the Mission chief, Michael Gahler, who oversaw the ’08 and ’13 elections, has met almost all the big players in Islamabad – Senate Chairman, CJP, Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms, Chairman NADRA, etc – everybody is in the know about what needs to be done, and how soon.
Significantly, the EU messenger also carried a subtle, veiled warning for Pakistan. Electoral reforms were, after all, a central component of the government’s obligations in return for EU’s GSP-plus trade concessions. And considering how revitalising exports is another one of those un-kept promises from PML-N’s campaign trail, safeguarding this foot-in-the-door into the EU’s large textile market is essential to the revenue stream. This arrangement has already had to endure unnecessary pressure; from our resuming the death penalty to Dar sb’s novelty of bolstering the rupee with Saudi money.
Then there is also the political backlash that comes with disputed elections; as the PML-N found out at the height of the infamous dharna. Broken down as the system is, it behooves politicians that pride themselves for ‘saving democracy’ time and again to initiate urgent reforms and iron out problems that have caused repeated controversies. Anything less will not only keep the system inefficient and non-transparent, but also alienate important friends whose outreach we rely on to stay solvent. Pushing electoral reforms through, therefore, is not just smart politics at this time, but also sensible economics.
