ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) has asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to improve institutional transparency and accountability in its latest report on the Implementation of the ECP’s 3rd Strategic Plan (2019-2023).
PILDAT has expressed concerns about the ECP’s monitoring mechanisms, the late release of yearly reports and the delayed rollout of the 4th Strategic Plan (2024-2028).
The ECP’s 3rd Strategic Plan (2019-2023) has 11 strategic pillars, which were further divided into 30 objectives and 92 strategic actions. These translated to a total of 111 measurable indicators, majority of which laid out a specific task and a deadline for completion.
According to a PILDAT press release on Friday, the focus of the strategic plan was both internal, and external, emphasizing electoral management and relationships with stakeholders. Internally, the strategic pillars focused on institutional development (pillar 3), training and capacity building (pillar 4) and financial management (pillar 6). Externally, the focus was on legal reforms (pillar 1), transparency and public perception (pillar 2), election operations (pillar 5), voter registration (pillar 7), electoral technologies (pillar 8) and election dispute resolution (pillar 9). Gender sensitivity (pillar 10) as well as monitoring and research capabilities (pillar 11) were to be enhanced internally and externally.
It said though the ECP’s consistent engagement in strategic planning over the past 15 years should be appreciated, a significant gap needs to be filled when it comes to monitoring and reporting progress on implementation. The ECP, in response to a request from PILDAT shared its progress on implementing the Strategic Plan in September 2023.
The ECP reported an overall 88 percent progress on the Strategic Plan in September 2023, while the progress on individual pillars ranged from 69 percent to 95 percent. However, the data shared with PILDAT were not detailed progress reports but rather presentations that listed progress on the strategic pillars. Despite repeated requests for clarification, PILDAT was not able to obtain a clear explanation from the ECP on how the percentages were calculated.
The ECP made significant commitments in the Strategic Plan and it is crucial that the progress is diligently monitored and shared with the public.
PILDAT has stressed the need for comprehensive progress reports, as was specified in the 3rd Strategic Plan. These reports should be issued and uploaded on the ECP website annually or even more frequently to ensure transparency. While the inclusion of measurable indicators in the 3rd Strategic Plan was a major improvement, future plans should include means of verification (MoVs) so that implementation can be monitored accurately.
The release of the 4th Strategic Plan (2024-2028) should not be delayed. PILDAT recommends that improving the credibility of the ECP should be an important part of the next strategic plan. Additionally, it is deeply concerning that the ECP’s Annual Reports of 2022 and 2023, which are major documents for institutional transparency, were not released.
