New CEC?

CHIEF Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja has completed his five-year term. It is high time for another to take his stead.

Given the scandals and controversies that rocked Mr Raja’s institution during the most consequential phase of his tenure, a respectable departure is surely more than he could have hoped for.

There were repeated calls for his resignation or termination following the 2024 general election, yet he somehow managed to stick it out till the end of his tenure. But it seems that was not good enough for the ruling regime, which clearly intended to keep him in charge of the ECP well beyond his scheduled retirement.

Passed late last year, the controversial 26th Amendment included a clause allowing election commissioners to continue in office till their replacements are decided. Two months since Mr Raja’s scheduled retirement, that long-drawn-out process has yet to start. The intent appears to be to delay it as long as possible.

Meanwhile, there are rumours swirling in Islamabad that Mr Raja may be reappointed to his office. If so, that would add more controversies to his record. The country’s opposition parties accuse him of abusing his powers to subvert the political system and deny the people’s mandate. Mr Raja has also earned a special mention in law history books for outright defying the country’s Supreme Court and violating its laws; not once or twice, but on multiple occasions, as recorded in biting judgements issued by various courts of law.

If, despite all this, he is still being considered for another term, the appointment is bound to become controversial. The opposition leaders in both the National Assembly and the Senate seem to have had enough of the waiting. They petitioned the Islamabad High Court earlier this week, challenging the delay in Mr Raja’s overdue departure. One must wait and see what the court makes of it.

The ruling parties should avoid getting involved in another controversy around the Election Commission. As it is, managing public perceptions of the incumbent government’s legitimacy is one of its biggest challenges. If the idea is to continue demonstrating that ‘power is power’, they will never be able to win over dissatisfied citizens.

Given the enormity of challenges before them and the country’s mounting security concerns, it would be wise to avoid situations that further polarise the public, and instead, to start implementing long-term solutions to perennial political problems. Foremost among such solutions should be the decision to strengthen the institutions of the state and allow them to operate independently and on consensually agreed principles.

The policies currently in vogue are dangerous and will have devastating long-term consequences. The country’s political crisis needs an end, not extension after extension. Well-meaning observers have consistently pointed this out to those making the decisions.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2025