The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PLDAT) has released its assessment report on the general elections held in Pakistan on February 8, 2024, according to which the recent elections received the lowest election fairness score in nearly a decade.
The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) has been issuing election evaluations since 2002.
PILDAT's new report, issued about a month after Pakistan's general elections, which were hampered by a nationwide cellular service outage and delays in declaring poll results, has sparked widespread suspicion of vote fraud, which the country's electoral officials deny.
According to the organization's assessment of the 2024 polls, fairness scores have dropped significantly in comparison to prior election cycles, which is worrying.
"Overall fairness of the 2024 general election in Pakistan received a score of 49 percent, which is three percentage points lower than the score received for the 2018 general election," a report from PILDAT stated. "Fairness assessment scores for the 2013 and 2018 elections stood at 57 percent and 52 percent, respectively."
It noted significant delays in election scheduling throughout the pre-poll process, as well as a lack of impartiality within the interim caretaker administration.
Furthermore, the suspension of mobile and Internet access jeopardized the election management system while also impeding public participation on election day.
Following the completion of voting, the report said that the publication of provisional results happened after the time specified in Section 13(3) of the Elections Act of 2017, casting doubt on the integrity of the electoral process.
"PILDAT calls on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to conduct a thorough investigation into the delays and deficiencies observed during the 2024 general election, particularly in result compilation, transmission, and consolidation," it added.