ECP decides not to use electronic voting machines in 2018 polls

The Election Commission of Pakistan Additional Secretary Dr Akhtar Nazir on Thursday said that all the necessary arrangements have been completed for the 2018 general elections but the electronic voting machines (EVMs) will not be used due to technical difficulties and lack of time.

He was addressing a media workshop organised by the ECP in Karachi. A work order has been prepared for printing 200 million ballot papers under strict security, said the ECP official, adding that 85,744 polling stations and 268,286 polling booths would be set up for the polls.

Giving further details, Nazir said that the returning officers (ROs) would be time-barred to issue verified official results by 2am. ‘Polling will be conducted again if turnout of women voters will be less than 10pc of the total votes in a particular polling station or constituency’, he added.

A fine of Rs 100,000 along with three-year imprisonment would be handed down against attempts to stop women from using their right to franchise, said the ECP official, citing the recently enacted Election (amendment) Act 2017.

According to the new law, he said two candidates will share two-and-a-half-year tenure as lawmaker each if managed to bag same number of votes. “Who will become member of the assembly first will be decided by mutual understanding of the two candidates,” he added.

ECP decides not to use electronic voting machines in 2018 polls