President can’t run party’s election campaign :CEC
By Our Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD, July 13: Chief Election Commissioner Qazi Mohammad Farooq has said that President Pervez Musharraf cannot run the election campaign of any political party, though he can meet members of parliament any time.
“The president is part of parliament under Article 50 of the Constitution and, therefore, he can issue guidelines or meet any senator or member of the National Assembly, but under the law he cannot support the election campaign of any legislator,” the CEC said on Thursday.
He was speaking at the launch of the door-to-door voter registration campaign beginning on Friday. The next election would be held on the basis of the fresh electoral list, he said, adding that the final list would be published by May 30, 2007, after a process that might cost Rs1 billion.
He said that only those possessing the National Database and Registration Authority’s computerised national identity cards would be registered as voters.
He conceded that around 20 million voters might not be able to register themselves in the new rolls since Nadra had issued only 52 million CNICs against 72 million eligible voters in the old list. But registration would be a continuous process and voters could get themselves registered in the new rolls till the time the schedule for the general elections was announced.
The CEC said the election would be held under an interim set-up.
Prepared in 2001-2 and updated in 2004-5, the old list was replete with repetitions, errors and omissions, Mr Farooq said. New rolls are necessary since demographic situation has changed and a large number of people from rural areas have settled permanently in urban areas. Besides, many young people have attained the voting age.
Answering about the CNIC condition, he said that the old identity cards had become redundant under a law and these could not be used for any purpose after December 2003.
Nadra had assured the commission that it would speed up the process of issuing CNICs, the CEC said.
He said holding free, fair, impartial and transparent election was the responsibility of the commission and he would do everything to ensure that.
Regarding opposition’s apprehensions that the election would be rigged, he said: “Politicians can issue whatever statements they like, but we will take every step to ensure transparent election in the country.” He held out the assurance that the election would be held on time.
In reply to a question about re-election of the president by the present assemblies, he observed: “It is not appropriate to comment on this issue since the CEC is the returning officer in the presidential election.”
Overseas Pakistanis would not be able to vote till necessary amendments were made to the electoral laws, he said.
When asked whether exiled leaders could be registered, he said any family member could get them registered in the rolls during enumeration.
Enumerators will start distributing forms from July 29.
