ISLAMABAD: With only 35 per cent of the registered voters turning out on the election day, by-elections in eight National Assembly and three Punjab Assembly constituencies remained peaceful.

However, there were scattered instances of irregularities primarily concerning unchecked campaigning inside and around polling stations, Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) said on Monday.

Overall, the voter turnout remained low compared to the general elections of 2018. The male turnout declined from 57.3 per cent in the general election to 39.5pc in the by-election, while the female turnout dropped from 45pc to 29.7pc.

In absolute numbers, 470,890 less voters turned out to vote as compared to 1,962,800 voters in the general elections of 2018. The highest voter turnout (53.3pc) was recorded in PP-209, Khanewal-VII, and the lowest (14.8pc) in NA-239, Korangi Karachi-I. The lowest female turnout remained at 10.4pc, recorded in NA-31, Peshawar-V, raising the need for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to look into the reasons in a spirit of section 9 of the Elections Act, 2017.

As many as four constituencies had less than 20pc female turnout compared to one with a male turnout below 20pc.

The voters’ turnout remained especially abysmal in two Karachi constituencies (NA-239, Korangi, Karachi-I; and NA-237, Malir-II), where cumulatively 17.6pc of the registered voters exercised their right to vote compared to 27.4pc turnout in three KP constituencies and 44.8pc in six Punjab constituencies.

According to the Provisional Consolidated Statement of Results of the Count (Form-47), PTI candidates won six National Assembly, and two Punjab Assembly (PA) seats, Pakistan Peoples’ Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) won two National Assembly seats, and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) one Punjab Assembly seat.

Low participation of women candidates remained a cause of concern in the recent elections, Fafen observed. Only three of the total 118 contesting candidates of these by-elections were women, reinforcing the need for political parties to reach out to these and other marginalised segments of the population for their political education and emancipation.

Scattered irregularities were observed during the election, including the presence of unauthorised persons inside polling stations, potentially compromising the efficacy of the electoral process; unchecked campaigning and canvassing inside and outside polling stations — an irregularity that has persisted during the recent by-elections; and oversized polling stations that could have potentially led to overcrowding and disorderly polling.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2022