PAKISTAN'S ELECTORAL CODE OF CONDUCT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 005178 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2017 TAGS: EAID PGOV PK PREL SUBJECT: PAKISTAN'S ELECTORAL CODE OF CONDUCT Classified By: Anne W. Patterson, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary: The Election Commission of Pakistan has now issued its Electoral Code of Conduct for the January elections. With no enforcement mechanisms, it will have little impact except to generate political party complaints. On November 27, the Ministry of Interior released further "unofficial guidance" which severely limits political processions and rallies in the name of security. Comments by officials from President Musharraf on down that the MOI rules will be strictly implemented are being interpreted by opposition parties as an infringement on their right to campaign freely, but the parties will be the first to blame the government for another bomb at a political rally. End Summary. ECP Code of Conduct -------------- ¶2. (U) On November 20, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP),released the Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Contesting Candidates for the forthcoming January 8 general elections. A draft version of these outlined regulations was originally distributed through electronic and print media in October and given to the political parties for comment by November 6. The ruling Pakistan Muslim League submitted its thoughts on the draft, and a few opposition parties reported that they had planned to do likewise. However, when President Musharraf declared a state of emergency on November 3, several of these parties suspended their efforts to comment and, subsequently, boycotted the Code of Conduct coordination meeting and the Code's announcement. ¶3. (U) The Code prohibits criticism of the ideology and security of Pakistan and ridicule of the judiciary or the armed forces. It calls on candidates to avoid corrupt practices, including bribing or intimidation of voters. It bans deliberate dissemination of false and malicious information, speeches that promote sectarian and other violence, and interference with voter participation based on gender, ethnicity, caste or religion. It prohibits: ministers from combining official visits and campaign activities; candidates from procuring the support or assistance of civil servants; and, the use of government funds to buy political advertising. Upon protests from several parties, the ECP dropped proposed restrictions on spending by candidates. ¶4. (U) The Code requires parties to coordinate rallies 24 hours in advance with the police and establishes procedures to ensure rallies do not block traffic. Except for voters, candidates and duly authorized election agents, no one without a valid pass issued by the ECP will have access to the polling booths. The ECP does promise free access for foreign/domestic observers, who will be issued official passes. The Code, however, has no apparent enforcement mechanisms. MOI Supplement -------------- ¶5. (U) On November 27, the Ministry of Interior announced its own "unofficial guidance" on political rallies and processions. Concerned over a repeat of the October 18 Karachi bombing when over 140 Pakistan People's Party supporters were killed at a rally to welcome Benazir Bhutto, MOI issued a statement saying it will provide security for all of the political leaders, including Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, during campaigning. At his weekly press briefing, however, MOI Brigadier Cheema said the GOP was trying to strike a balance between protecting candidates and allowing necessary political activities and election preparations to go forward. The MOI's rules include: - Processions/rallies may be banned. - Organizers must get no-objection certificates (NOC) from their respective provincial governments to ensure proper security preparations. - Overall responsibility for security rests with administrations and local law enforcement agencies (LEAs), not with the private security of the political parties. - District administrations and LEAs must use electronic equipment for screening and frequency jammers for any authorized gatherings. ISLAMABAD 00005178 002 OF 002 - Political parties and government officials should engage before events to develop an "action agreement" on how the parties will behave. - Political leaders should not expose themselves unnecessarily for long periods of time and all movement of political leadership should be well-coordinated, ensuring "foolproof" security. - Any violation of the code of conduct would be at the political parties' own risk ¶6. (C) Comment: For months, opposition political parties had been calling upon the ECP to formulate a Code of Conduct that was negotiated by all stakeholders. The ECP's last-minute and typically minimal attempt at coordination was undermined by the announcement of a state of emergency. The MOI's rules could easily be abused to limit oppositon activities, but the government is having to walk a fine line between protecting candidates from very real threats and enabling some semblance of normal campaigning. Comments by officials from President Musharraf on down that the MOI rules will be strictly implemented are being interpreted by opposition parties as an infringement on their right to campaign freely, but the parties will be the first to blame the government for another bomb at a political rally. PATTERSON