ISLAMABAD: The chief election commissioner (CEC) of Pakistan has stated that the general elections were held in a completely transparent manner. He is certain that all parties and individuals will accept the election results.
Speaking to the media outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) building in the federal capital on Thursday, Sikandar Sultan Raja noted that the election process was transparent and peaceful, with polling proceeding without any interruptions and no citizen was prevented from casting their vote.
He brought up the fact that some portions of the country will be without phone and internet access and said that the presiding officers in those areas will personally hand over Form 45 to the returning officer (RO).
It was explained by him that once the service is back up, the RO will automatically receive the form once it is uploaded to the Election Management System (EMS).
The deadline for the ROs to publish the results, according to Raja, is 2 am on Friday; however, statements can be made sooner if feasible.
According to him, the legislation allows for extensions if asked by two o’clock. He mentioned that three voting places in Gujarat had their time extended at the request of the relevant ROs.
Concerning the suspension of mobile phone and internet services as a result of security concerns, Raja made it clear that the ECP is not authorised to issue orders to restore them. He did, however, guarantee that the ECP system would remain operational during the internet outage.
“The panel is all set and ready to go. Everything about the elections will be open and honest. Everyone has the right to vote for whoever they like. Voting is a civic duty that everyone of us should fulfil as citizens. He confirmed that the ECP is just as strong as previously.
In light of recent terrorist attacks in Balochistan, he claimed, the security establishment had decided to cut off mobile phone and internet connections.
When it comes to questions of national security, the panel can only offer suggestions. The restoration of telephone and internet services will not be ordered by us,” he declared, explaining that he found out about the shutdown of these services from news reports.
