PARLIAMENT has once again managed to defy its critics and produce a consensus on the 20th Amendment. What’s particularly satisfying about the bill is that what began as a narrow, technical purpose — the demand by the Supreme Court that a one-time constitutional cover be granted to legislators elected while the Election Commission of Pakistan was not yet properly constituted as stipulated in the 18th Amendment  — ended up as a broader attempt to try and ensure a more impartial interim set-up before the next general elections and to enhance the autonomy of the ECP itself. Remember, to date the dominant theory was that the PPP was hoping to use the interim set-up to its advantage while the PML-N was considered to have slipped into campaign mode, which would dictate not being seen to cooperate with the government ahead of the next election. Moreover, the incentives for an agreement between the PPP and the PML-N weren’t terribly high: the PPP-led coalition argued it had a two-thirds majority in parliament, mean-ing that a consensus amendment was more of a political signal than a numerical necessity.

In its own way, the 20th Amendment has added to the body of evidence suggesting that democracy can and does work in Pakistan, if it is given the space to do so. For the PPP to surrender what appeared to be a constitutional prerogative to pick an interim prime minister of its choice — before the amendment, the president, the PPP co-chairman, was required to consult the prime minister, a PPP man, and the leader of the opposition, a PML-N figure, giving it a 2-1 edge in the decision-making apparatus — is a concession where none needed to be given. True, the turnout in the Assembly on Tuesday night suggested the PPP and its coalition allies would have had their work cut out for them to ensure the attendance of enough members to pass the amendment without the PML-N’s help but in the bare-knuckle world of power politics here, it was a pleasant reaffirmation of the fact that this parliament has what it takes to get serious legislation done.

Being in the opposition, perhaps the PML-N deserves slightly more credit for its ultimate cooperation. In fact, it is fairly clear that the longevity of parliament itself this time round has much to do with the PML-N eschewing the role of a rabid opposition determined to bring down a government through any means. From support for the NFC, in which Punjab took a hit, to major changes to the constitution, the PML-N has more often than not supported the democratic project. Democracy lives, and it can deliver.