Heavy police presence and suspicious voting patterns observed in PS-83 by-elections

ISLAMABAD, June 20, 2012: Heavy police presence inside polling stations and suspicious voting patterns at five polling stations marked the by-election for the PS-83 (Sanghar-VI), which compared to recent by-polls witnessed relatively better turnout, reports the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) in its Preliminary Report on Wednesday.

The seat was vacated due to death of MPA Abdul Salam Thaheem, who won in the 2008 general elections by securing 30,542 votes when the voter turnout was 47%. As many as 108,284 voters are registered in PS-83 (Sanghar-VI) – 58,045 male and 50,239 female. Compared to the number of registered voters in the 2008 general elections, 8,284 fewer voters were registered for the by-election. 

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) set up 93 – 26 male, 26 female and 41 combined polling stations. The polling stations had 286 polling booths – 156 male and 130 female.

FAFEN deployed 18 trained observers on the Election Day to monitor more than 90% of the polling stations set up in the constituency. Observers spent between 45 and 60 minutes in each polling station to document their observations and findings on a standardized checklist based on the provisions of the Representation of the Peoples Act 1976, Conduct of Elections Rules 1977, and instructional handbooks that the ECP has provided to election officials.

This preliminary report is based on observation of 82 polling stations – 25 male, 24 female and 33 combined. Some of FAFEN’s key findings include:

1. Suspicious Voting Patterns

There were eight polling booths at five polling stations where FAFEN observers recorded suspicious voting patterns. If the polling is most efficient and each voter is taking approximately a minute and 30 seconds for processing (checking of name, checking of CNIC, issuance of ballot paper, going behind secrecy screen, stamping a ballot and returning of stamp to the assistant presiding officer), there can be approximately 45 votes that can be cast in an hour at a booth. However, the rate of voting was higher than possible at eight booths of the polling stations listed below. The following table gives booth-wise average of polled votes per hour. An average higher than 45 brings into question the speed with which the voters were being processed.

2. Turnout

According to FAFEN observers reporting from 14 randomly sampled polling stations, the turnout remained 44.45 percent, which was lower than the turnout in the general elections. The turnout at male polling stations was recorded at 32 percent, 24 percent at female polling stations and 60 percent at combined polling stations.

3. Fraudulent Voting

At three polling stations, additional counterfoils were filled on the ballot books whereas at four polling stations ballot papers were issued without filling the counterfoils, indicating the possibility of fraudulent votes being stuffed in ballot boxes. Similarly, FAFEN observers reported from one polling station that the numbers of Computerized National Identity Cards of voters as written on the counterfoils of the ballot books did not match the corresponding entries on the electoral rolls, again raising the possibility that fraudulent voting might have occurred.

At 10 polling stations, dubious thumb impressions marked on the counterfoils of ballot books at the same angle with phasing out ink print were observed. In the case of genuine voters, each thumb impression is marked in fresh, dark ink and is usually at varying angles.

4. Unauthorized Persons Inside Polling Stations

At 59 polling stations, FAFEN observed that security officials were present inside polling stations and polling booths and at times appeared to have been in control of the electoral process. Under electoral rules, even at sensitive polling stations, police is only authorized to maintain order outside polling stations in order to ensure smooth polling. They can only enter polling stations or booths when requested by the presiding officer. However, police were not observed to have been persuading voters or election officials to favor a certain candidate.

FAFEN observer reports indicate the presence of local influential persons inside 14 polling stations. Instances were reported where some of these unauthorized persons were attempting to persuade voters to vote in favor of a political party or candidate at four polling stations.

Moreover, candidates with their armed bodyguards were observed to have visited four polling stations at two of which they were seen persuading voters to vote in favor of a certain candidate, which is prohibited. Under election laws, only candidates are authorized to visit polling stations. They cannot bring in their bodyguards unless specially permitted by the returning officer.

Observers at four polling stations also witnessed that unauthorized persons were attempting to influence election officials. These unauthorized persons included candidates and their workers.

Similarly, efforts to influence the police were made by candidates and/or their workers at three polling stations.

At 12 polling stations, FAFEN observers reported that people who had already voted were present.

5. Campaigning and Canvassing around Polling Stations

At 24 polling stations, the workers of contesting candidates were campaigning and canvassing in violation of election laws that bar the same within 400 yards of polling stations. Armed civilians were also observed to have been present at party camps around three polling stations. Such display of arms inhibits voters from turning out to vote as well as compel them to vote under pressure.

6. Interference with FAFEN Observers

FAFEN observers were stopped from observing the voting and counting processes at two polling stations by their respective presiding officers. The ECP allows its accredited observers to monitor all stages of the election, including the opening of polling stations, voting and the counting process. However, FAFEN observers reported that one presiding officer refused to accept the validity of their accreditation cards.

FAFEN Recommendations

Having observed the aforementioned irregularities during the by-election, FAFEN recommends:

• The ECP should ensure that security officials perform only their designated duty of maintaining law and order outside of polling stations and do not attempt to manage election officials.
• The ECP should take disciplinary action against polling station officials who interfered with and influenced the voting process.
• The ECP should reprimand all election officials who failed to enforce the election rules and laws.
• The ECP and all provincial, district, and local election officials should administer each by-election with the same vigilance and attention to enforcing the law and procedures as during any general election. The result of any by-election not administered vigilantly should be voided.
• To eliminate unauthorized people from being in polling stations:
  • Presiding Officers should be encouraged and provided adequate protections to use their magisterial powers.
  • All polling officials must be required to carry their Government Service Cards to prove their identity on Election Day.
  • Polling officials should ensure that only one polling agent representing each political party – and carrying proper identification from their party – is permitted in each polling booth.
  • Only people carrying proper identifications should be permitted inside polling stations and allowed to vote.
  • Adequate security checks should be performed in order to prevent unauthorized and armed persons in and around polling stations.
  • All polling officials must be required to carry their Government Service Cards to prove their identity on Election Day.
• Adequate training of all polling officials must be ensured for all by-elections.
• Polling officials should ensure that all campaign materials and camps are removed from around the polling stations.
• More generally, given the consistent weaknesses in ECP by-election administration, by-elections should be minimized by restricting each candidate in general elections to contesting in only one constituency.

About FAFEN

The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), a coalition of 42 leading Pakistani civil society organizations, was established in 2006 to observe election processes, educate voters, and advocate for electoral and democratic reform.