News @ 3 - 3rd April 2018

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan has declared 34 political parties eligible to contest general elections of 2018 after they furnished all required documents and fee for registration.

The parties who have been permitted to contest the polls include Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz, Pakistan People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Q, Mutahidda Qaumi Movement, National Party, Awami National Party, All Pakistan Muslim League, Awami Muslim League, Pakistan Awami Tehreek, Majlis-e-Wehdat-e-Muslimeen, while faction of religious parties under the banner of Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal is also in the list, reported the ARY News.

All the approved parties have also submitted Rs 200,000 registered fee with the ECP.

On December 26 last year, The ECP, after the passage of the law by parliament, had asked political parties to submit Rs200,000 as enlistment fee, besides submitting lists along with computerised nat­ional identity cards of 2,000 members each, a mandatory requirement under section 202 of the Act, within two months.

A notification issued by the ECP to this effect had said the affected political parties may appeal the decision in the Supreme Court within 30 days. After the new legislation, it was expected that more non-active parties would be delisted in due course of time and only a dozen of them will make it to the parliament after the general election. In recent few years, the Election Commission was flooded with hundreds of new parties, overwhelming majority, existed only on papers, having no root among masses.

The Election Commission had to enlist them, as there was hardly any criterion to make the process difficult aspirants to get enlisted. However, the new legislation has put in place a mechanism, which has shown results and the electoral body will have far less parties to take care of in future, it is widely believed.

Last year, the National Assembly had unanimously passed amendments to the Election Bill 2017, thus imposing a ban on disqualified persons from taking part in political activities.