ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the Natio­nal Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah has called for reducing the term of elected governments in the country from five to four years and has suggested that the Constitution be amended to allow senior bureaucrats and lawyers also to be considered for appointment as chief election commissioner (CEC).

The PPP leader, who met Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on Monday for consultations over the appointment of a new CEC, told reporters at Parliament House on Tuesday that a constitutional restriction, stipulating that the commissioner could only be taken from the judiciary, had limited their choices.

“If there is no suitable judge for the office, where will we get a new CEC from,” he asked.

Opposition leader says lawyers, bureaucrats should be eligible for CEC post

Mr Shah claims that these are his personal views and not formally endorsed by the party.

The proposals have come as the National Assembly speaker is expected to notify a 33-member parliamentary committee on electoral reforms.

Currently, the CEC is appointed under Article 213 of the Constitution and its Clause 2, which reads: “No person shall be appointed as the Commissioner unless he is, or has been, a judge of a high court and is qualified under paragraph (a) Clause 2 of Article 177 to be appointed as judge of the Supreme Court.”

Mr Shah also called for further empowering the CEC, saying that right now the commissioner was only playing the role of a simple member.

The opposition leader wrote to the prime minister last month, asking him to initiate the process for new CEC’s appointment.

The office of the CEC fell vacant when retired Justice Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim voluntary resigned in July last year after allegations of rigging and irregularities in the May 11 general elections were levelled by nearly all major political parties.

Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali of the Supreme Court is now the acting CEC. Before him, Justice Nasirul Mulk and Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani had also served on this position.

Justice Ebrahim was the first person appointed as the CEC after the passage of the 18th Constitution Amendment, which also increases the CEC’s tenure from three to five years.

The CEC was earlier appointed by the president, but under Article 213 of the Constitution, the prime minister is now required to forward three names to the parliamentary committee for confirmation after consultations with the leader of opposition in the National Assembly.

Talking about the prevailing political situation in the country, Mr Shah said he believed that all issues and political disputes could be resolved if the term of the government was reduced to four years from five.

However, he said the incumbent PML-N government should be allowed to complete its five-year term and the amendment seeking a reduction in the term of the federal and provincial governments should come into effect after the next general elections.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2014