PTI’s Intraparty elections

More participatory than those by other major parties

An otherwise reluctant PTI was forced at last by the Election Commission to hold intraparty elections. What had haunted the party was the fear of internal rifts coming to the surface and causing bitterness among party rank and file ahead of the 2018 elections with negative consequences for its electoral fortunes. To have an intraparty election free of strife Imran Khan had to amend the party constitution in a way that has been questioned and evolve a new election formula.  The arrangement involves holding elections only on three tiers – i.e.: divisional, provincial and federal instead of the original five. Again, unlike the past candidates contest elections through two panels with fourteen contenders each rather than as individuals.

The PTI is holding an exercise where the outcome can be predicted with hundred percent certainty which is highly unusual in a free and fair election. The exercise also puts limits on the voters’ freedom of choice, something alien to democracy. The voters will not have the option to choose individual contestants but will have to elect either of the two panels, one led by Imran Khan and the other by Nek Mohammad. For all intents and purposes this ensures the success of the entire panel 1 headed by Imran Khan. The voters would thus be forced to vote for some of the panel members they might not otherwise like to elect.

Despite the serious limitation there remains a qualitative difference between the elections organised by the two other major parties, PML-N and PPP, and the PTI. In the case of the former two the entire party membership is not involved in electing the central leadership. The PML-N General Council comprising 2,000 members elected party leaders in Islamabad last year. The intraparty elections of the Zardari-led PPP-P and Bilawal-led PPP were held in Bilawal House early this year on the same day with fewer electors away from the media limelight. In the case of the PTI however 2.7 million registered voters cast their votes directly to elect the central, provincial and regional leaders. That makes a big difference.