ILLEGAL agreements among certain political parties or candidates have routinely barred women in certain areas from contesting elections and voting in this country. In a long-awaited development, legal protections for women’s electoral rights were recently instituted with amendments to sections 78 and 103AAA of the Representation of the People Act, 1976, thereby empowering the Election Commission of Pakistan to disqualify candidates who prevent women from voting. This is a significant step, especially when female disenfranchisement is routine in remote areas of KP and Balochistan. Tabled by Senator Sherry Rehman as the Representation of the People [Amendment Bill, 2017], this law also allows the ECP to declare an election void, calling for a repoll in constituencies where women have been stopped from voting. Under the amended section 103AAA, the ECP can conduct summary inquiries when it gets reports of election irregularities, declaring polls in such constituencies void. Appeals against the ECP’s decisions can be filed in the Supreme Court.

Given that these amendments allow the ECP to counter the patriarchal traditions forming the core of such unforgiveable and discriminatory behaviour, the law’s implementation is expected. It should have no excuse not to nullify poll results in constituencies that bar women voters. The ECP must start by making inquiries into last week’s Shangla by-election where women voters were stopped. Moreover, political parties should be penalised for forcibly keeping women away from the poll process. The belief in many conservative areas that women’s duties revolve around their home, and not outside, is indicative of misogyny, and shows up exclusionary and anti-women practices at all levels. Furthermore, in the run-up to the next general election, a bill pending in parliament allowing for repolling at polling stations or even entire constituencies if less than 10pc of registered women voters cast their ballot, must be passed. The state must make it clear that interfering in women’s electoral rights will not be tolerated.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2017