LAHORE, Aug 25: Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said on Thursday that like the first phase the second round of local elections had also been completed in a transparent, free and fair manner.

Talking to reporters of some private television channels, the chief minister claimed the voters’ turnout was 50 per cent in the province and the law and order remained satisfactory despite incidents of violence at some places.

The chief minister said army had been called out to control law and order in 11 sensitive districts. The law-enforcement personnel were directed to immediately respond to any reports of disturbance. The agencies, in turn, controlled every situation promptly, he said.

He said the district government was the best institution for the resolution of people’s problems at local level. The system would be further strengthened after the completion of the election process, he added.

The chief minister said the provincial and the district governments would play more effective role with regard to social development in view of the recent amendments in the Local Government Ordinance.

He said the full participation of the people in the election reflected their desire to further fortify the local government system introduced by the president in the country.

The chief minister said the government ensured the implementation of election code in letter and spirit. The government machinery too made every effort to ensure holding of the elections in a free and fair manner.

He said the opposition parties had made claims about victory in the first phase of the elections in the southern Punjab. But all such claims were rejected by the people who elected 80 per cent PML-supported candidates there. The party was expecting similar results in the second phase, he added.