THE first round of local government elections in Punjab and Sindh has continued the trend of recent elections: the overall result appeared to reflect voter preferences while the voting process has seen some improvements but also multiple failures.

The decision to hold staggered elections in the country’s electorally two largest provinces appears to have prevented the chaos and mismanagement that was seen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in May, but there must be questions asked about how a clash between supporters of rival groups in Khairpur ended in the death of 11 individuals.

The Khairpur tragedy must surely not be treated as an aberration — whatever lessons that can be learned should be learned and applied with greater vigour to the next election. Election day violence is not inevitable; it is the failure of administration, as was seen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa earlier this year.

As for the voting itself, the ECP still does not appear to have full control over the process and independent observers found a familiar plethora of discrepancies and irregularities.

The answer to those problems remains the same: meaningful and deep electoral reforms while simultaneously strengthening and deepening the ECP’s administrative structures. Unhappily, neither of those fundamentals appears to be a priority for parliament.

The results themselves also appear to reflect overall expectations. The PPP swept interior Sindh — though perhaps the reasons for that sweep will be contested.

To the party’s detractors, the PPP dominance is because of the weaknesses of and disarray among its opponents.

To PPP supporters, the skewed media coverage of the party once again overlooked the genuine and continuing support for the party in its core base. In Punjab, the PML-N dominated, seemingly pulling further away from the PTI in both urban and rural areas and now in competition with a new political force in Punjab, the so-called independents.

Once again, the reasons will be disputed. To PML-N supporters, the results will be further evidence of voter satisfaction with the PML-N governance at the centre and in Punjab and dissatisfaction with the PTI’s abrasive and endless politics.

To PTI supporters, the party’s inability to convert its ostensible popularity into winning more seats at all levels of government is because of the absence of a strong local party machine — and, of course, the PML-N’s alleged wanton abuse of power.

Moreover, PTI strategists will no doubt be looking at the rise of independent candidates as an opportunity — clearly, there is a great chunk of voters floating around in Punjab who are unhappy with the PML-N and still looking for alternatives.

From a national perspective, the core goal remains elusive — whosoever wins an election, it must be won fairly and transparently and the result must be an accurate reflection of the votes cast.

That change will only come through electoral reforms, the present system having seemingly achieved its potential. But it is not clear how that goal can be made a priority for parliament.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2015

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