Foreign observation mission Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) officially released on Tuesday its report on the 2024 general elections in Pakistan, highlighting “conditions which appeared to limit fundamental political rights and impacted one party’s ability to fairly contest the election”.
“Additionally, it noted a shutdown of cellular services on election night, which reduced the transparency of the process and impacted the efficiency of receiving results,” a COG press release[1] said.
The report noted areas for improvement and provided recommendations for strengthening the independence of the country’s democratic institutions, it said.
The press release further stated: “The group highlighted, among others, the conditions which appeared to limit fundamental political rights and impacted one party’s ability to fairly contest the election. Additionally, it noted a shutdown of cellular services on election night, which reduced the transparency of the process and impacted the efficiency of receiving results.”
The report concluded that these developments may have “impinged on the credibility, transparency and inclusiveness of the electoral process”.
In its report, the COG also “commended the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) efforts to ensure inclusive elections”.
“It noted the ECP’s expansion of its Gender and Social Inclusion Wing as a worthwhile endeavour, which contributed to a reduction in the voter registration gender gap from 12 per cent in 2013 to 7.7pc in the 2024 election.
“The group further noted the establishment of the ECP’s gender hotline for reporting election-related harassment and intimidation. There was also an improvement in youth voter turnout.”
The press release, citing the report, added that despite challenges, the “potential for improving future polls was encouraging”.
“The potential of Pakistan’s democracy is enormous. Pakistan has a vibrant and diverse media; women and the youth are more engaged than ever; and Pakistan’s CSOs play a critical role in the democratic life of the country, continually pushing for reform and improvement.”
The report proposed reforms to various aspects of the electoral process, including the legal framework and its interpretation, election administration, and laws impacting political rights, women’s participation, pre-election campaigns, and the role of the media, the press release said.
In September, the PTI had called on[2] the COG to release this report, claiming that it laid bare “systemic rigging, institutional bias, and deliberate targeting of PTI and its founder, Imran Khan”.
The demand came after a recent report[3] by the independent news outlet Drop Site News claimed that the COG group had “buried their report” after finding the Feb 8 general elections to be riddled with problems.