Lessons from local government polls
Wednesday, 6 August 2008
The local government elections for four city corporations and nine municipalities that the Election Commission had announced on June 20 last was held peacefully last Monday. The local government polls in the given constituencies, which were held under the state of emergency, can be seen as a test case for the upcoming national elections in December next. It also puts an end to the various speculation and rumour about the feasibility of the polls in the existing circumstances. Though the local government elections are non-political in character, it is an open secret that in most cases the candidates who run these elections have partisan background as well as blessing. In the just concluded local government polls, the same characteristics of the candidates and the voters were conspicuous.
In spite of the heavy security and the emergency in place, the first ever election under the incumbent caretaker government began at 8 a.m. Though the voting was to be closed by 4 p.m., it was not possible in many cases due reportedly to some discrepancies found between the National Identity Cards and the voter registration numbers. Though bringing National identity Card was not mandatory at the polling centres, the voters in many cases carried their cards with them all the same. But that, too, did not help matters, if only for the fact that their numbers did not match with the voter registration number in the voter roll. What is worse, the voting progressed at a slow pace, because the polling officers found it hard to identify the voters from the voter list. In some cases, the voters could not get their serial number, though in the past elections the candidates' polling agents would help the voters in this respect. As a result, it prolonged the procedure of vote casting as well as created longer queues at the voting centres. Reports have it that in consequence, getting frustrated either over the flaws in the voters' list or the very slow pace of voting, many voters returned without exercising their franchise. Apart from the confusions over the voter registration numbers and the slow pace of voting that dragged the voting at many centres beyond the 4 pm's deadline, the incidents of violation of the electoral codes of conduct by the candidates, vote rigging, casting of fake vote or the incidents of violence at the voting centres, etc., were few and far between. The election observers both from home and abroad looked satisfied.
So one can say that the local government polls under review in which a good number of candidates ran for four mayoral positions, 118 posts of councillor and 39 reserved seats for councillorship seeking votes from about 1.36 million were held more or less successfully. The election has also put to rest the debate if the participation of the voters would be spontaneous. Being enthused over the rate of voter turn-out at the different polling centres across the country, the Chief Election Commissioner even commented that there was no problem now to hold the elections under the state of emergency. However, last year he was on record saying on a number of occasions that voting under the state of emergency was not practicable.
The local government elections have been lesson enough for the political parties of the country. Though the usual electioneering ambience of great fun and festivities was absent, if only for the heavy security and emergency, use of muscle, money and attending violence was also conspicuous by their absence in all the constituencies. And it is certainly a departure from the people's earlier experience about elections whether national, or for the local governments.
In spite of the heavy security and the emergency in place, the first ever election under the incumbent caretaker government began at 8 a.m. Though the voting was to be closed by 4 p.m., it was not possible in many cases due reportedly to some discrepancies found between the National Identity Cards and the voter registration numbers. Though bringing National identity Card was not mandatory at the polling centres, the voters in many cases carried their cards with them all the same. But that, too, did not help matters, if only for the fact that their numbers did not match with the voter registration number in the voter roll. What is worse, the voting progressed at a slow pace, because the polling officers found it hard to identify the voters from the voter list. In some cases, the voters could not get their serial number, though in the past elections the candidates' polling agents would help the voters in this respect. As a result, it prolonged the procedure of vote casting as well as created longer queues at the voting centres. Reports have it that in consequence, getting frustrated either over the flaws in the voters' list or the very slow pace of voting, many voters returned without exercising their franchise. Apart from the confusions over the voter registration numbers and the slow pace of voting that dragged the voting at many centres beyond the 4 pm's deadline, the incidents of violation of the electoral codes of conduct by the candidates, vote rigging, casting of fake vote or the incidents of violence at the voting centres, etc., were few and far between. The election observers both from home and abroad looked satisfied.
So one can say that the local government polls under review in which a good number of candidates ran for four mayoral positions, 118 posts of councillor and 39 reserved seats for councillorship seeking votes from about 1.36 million were held more or less successfully. The election has also put to rest the debate if the participation of the voters would be spontaneous. Being enthused over the rate of voter turn-out at the different polling centres across the country, the Chief Election Commissioner even commented that there was no problem now to hold the elections under the state of emergency. However, last year he was on record saying on a number of occasions that voting under the state of emergency was not practicable.
The local government elections have been lesson enough for the political parties of the country. Though the usual electioneering ambience of great fun and festivities was absent, if only for the heavy security and emergency, use of muscle, money and attending violence was also conspicuous by their absence in all the constituencies. And it is certainly a departure from the people's earlier experience about elections whether national, or for the local governments.