The best choice: A joint candidate
To some the process of democratic transition had completed when the new prime minister took oath last month, and with it for the first time ever a civilian government handed the reins to another similarly elected dispensation. There however remains at least one step before the whole process can be brought to a closure: the president’s election. Being the head of the state, his election is very important, more so considering how our particular political setup gives the party in power to install a president of its choice, if not one from its ranks. In this backdrop, how Pakistan’s first-ever peaceful democratic power transition completes with the election of a new president also assumes a measure of import.
The cut-off date for President Asif Ali Zardari’s tenure is September 8, and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced the schedule for electing his replacement. The ECP will receive nomination papers till July 24, vet them on July 26 and allow rescinding applications till July 29. Subsequently we would know who is in the run, with the voting taking place on August 6. For his part, Mr Zardari has already let it be known that he was vying for another tilt, the PML-N has an opportunity to do the right thing. The president being a representative of the federation, it would be appropriate if the N League nominated a candidate from one of the smaller provinces. This would also help in creating a semblance of balancing out the power scale, which is already too skewed in the N-League’s favour with Brothers Sharif being the prime minister and the Punjab chief minister. The Article 41 (4) of the constitution of Pakistan stipulates the timeline when presidential election must be held, and it will be exercised for the first time, thus setting a precedent. However, it would have been better not to ignore the objections raised by PPP leader and MNA Khurshid Shah. The ECP has yet to hold by-elections on 42 seats of the national and provincial assemblies. As the electoral college for the president’s elections consists of the senate, national assembly and the provincial assemblies, it does make some sense to demand that these precede before the votes for president are cast. That said, the difference these 42 seats could make in the overall result is not indeed significant because of the manner the votes are counted in this election. However, in a tightly contested race, this could make all the difference. One hopes the ECP has an excuse if the situation does come down to that.
The political parties, including the PML-N and the PTI, are in the process of vetting names for their prospective candidates, while the PPP too has now shown interest in getting into the contest. Representing the federation, the president should be above party politics and it would make for an ideal situation if both the government and the opposition can agree on a joint candidate.
