Senate Panel Objects to Use of Electronic Voting Machines in Next Elections

The Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs has rejected the Election Act 2017 Amendment bill (2021) on electronic voting machines and the holding of Senate elections through open ballot by a majority vote.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) officials boycotted the meeting proceedings in retaliation against comments made by the Minister for Railways, Azam Swati. The government members also walked out as a member of the committee was not allowed to vote for the bills.

A meeting of the committee was held at the Parliament House under the chairmanship of Senator Taj Haider. Minister Shibli Faraz, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan, and other officials attended the meeting.

Advisor Awan said that it was not right for the ECP to express its concerns about the electronic voting machines (EVM), and remarked that the ECP’s claim that there is no secrecy of the vote is baseless as voting through the EVM will eliminate the problems of ballot papers and will increase transparency. He said that the testing of the EVMs on an experimental basis was also the responsibility of the ECP.

The Advisor added that a letter about the storage, transportation, and purchase of the EVMs had been written to the ECM but it had not responded. Similarly, the expenditure of Rs. 150 billion on the purchase of the machines has also been assumed by ECP.

Minster Swati claimed that the ECP had failed to hold free and fair elections in the country, which is why it opposes the use of the EVMs, and added it has taken money to hold rigged elections.

The ECP officials in the committee walked out from the meeting in response to his remarks.

A member of the committee, Senator Azam Tarar, said that the government’s remarks about the ECP were insulting, to which Minister Swati replied that it will make the ECP truly independent and autonomous.

Committee member Dr. Sania Nishtar said that it is the government’s responsibility to funds the ECP.

Senators Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and Senator Kamran Murtaza disapproved of Minister Swati’s comments about the ECP, and said that one of the remarks about a constitutional body was incorrect.

The Chairman of the committee, Senator Haider, said that it should try to reach a consensus on the voting mechanism, and the committee ruled to vote for the approval or rejection of the amendment bills regarding the Election Act 2017.

Minister Swati said that one of their members was unable to attend the meeting due to an illness. Senator Samina Saeed was in Parliament Lodges, and the minister said that should be given the opportunity to present her point of view online.

However, the Chairman refused to allow her to participate online and vote, and the government members walked out of the meeting in protest.

The committee rejected the Elections Act 2017 Amendment Bill 2021 through a majority vote.