Tanvi Sinha
Amidst massive controversy regarding corruption of the election system in Pakistan via the secret ballot system, the Supreme Court ruled secret ballots to be used to hold the upcoming Senate elections.
A five-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan issued a 4-1 verdict on the case issued via Presidential reference filed in December.
The five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed stated that the Election commission of Pakistan (ECP) had the responsibility to assure a fair and non-corrupt election practice with the help of the latest technology.
‘It is the responsibility of the ECP to endure transparency of the elections’
The matter was brought to court by the federal government’s insistence via presidential reference.
The government’s presidential ordinance that was brought in to support an open ballot system, would now by the courts be held null and void.
On 11th February, the Election authorities had all decided to uphold the secret ballot system, opposing the ongoing campaign by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief to have open and fair elections.
The issue gained momentum when a video surfaced of some members of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa being bribed to vote against Imran Khan’s PTI.
The elections are due to be held on March the 3rd, with tough competition for PTI’s Imran Khan and its opposition parties. 52 senators will retire from the 104 member house on March 11 with the competition of their 6-year term.
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