Allegations of buying and selling of votes have marred Senate elections in the past, but the amount of money some candidates are ready to spend to buy their way into the Upper House this year is unprecedented, politicians and lawmakers say.
Half of Pakistan’s senators will complete their terms on March 11. There are 184 new candidates for those 52 seats, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan, although some of them are expected to withdraw and some others might not be allowed to run after scrutiny.
Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf is already crying foul, and has warned its legislators not to “sell their souls”. Some of them may disregard that advice. “There will be no place in our party for anyone who will sell their vote” in the Senate elections, warned the party’s chairman Imran Khan. Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said the government was aware of “horse-trading” by people with black money.
Of the 52 candidates that will be elected to the Senate, two will be from Islamabad, four from FATA, 12 each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, and 11 each from Punjab and Sindh. Most allegations of buying and selling of votes in the elections for the Upper House are made in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where political parties have weak organization.
“This is certainly going to be the most expensive election in the history of Senate,” said former Senator Hameedullah Afridi. “We could never have imagined the rates would get so high.”
A source said one vote from Balochistan may cost around Rs 30 million this year. A candidate needs nine votes to make it to the Senate. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the going rate is around Rs 20 million per vote, and the candidates need at least 17 legislators to vote for them. The middlemen are given their cut, he said.
Khyber Pakhtukhwa Governor Sardar Mehtab Khan recently met with representatives of all mainstream political parties of his province in Islamabad, and they resolved to frustrate the moves of all those candidates who were trying to buy votes.
But at about the same time, another source said, a rich family who has been accused of buying votes in the past was being assured by several Tehrik-e-Insaf legislators of their support. Two members of that family are contesting the Senate elections. Their approvers and seconders belong to the PTI and the PML-N.
Hamidullah Afridi said one candidate whose term will expire on March 11 was looking to get re-elected, and had approached lawmakers with “lucrative propositions”.
“It is unfortunate but true,” says Senator Haji Adeel of Awami National Party. “Money plays a vital role in Senate elections. But you should not blame the smaller provinces alone. In Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the deals are made by the lawmakers individually. In Punjab and Sindh, they are made at the party level.”
Col (r) Khalid Munir said some legislators from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa approached him asking if a rich and influential family he is close to were running for Senate. “If members of a rich family are in the Senate race, the rates go up.”
In a recent statement, Asfandyar Wali, the chief of Awami National Party, demanded an open ballot. With strong evidence of bribery in the upcoming elections, remedial measures were necessary, he said.
Analyst Zafarullah Khan says there are no laws that stop a member of a party from voting for Senate candidates who do not belong to their own party – so Imran Khan’s warning may not work – and lawmakers have a legal right to secret balloting. He said political parties must strengthen their ranks to avoid horse-trading, or make new laws.
PTI is expected to be a key victim of the trading of votes. With 56 members in the provincial assembly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the party is hoping to get five Senators elected, with some help from its allies. But it may to lose at least one of those seats, and the reason is not the buying and selling of votes alone. A number of the party’s legislators disagree with the leadership’s choice of Senate candidate, and may vote for others.
Shahzad Raza is an Islamabad-based journalist
Twitter: @shahzadrez
Half of Pakistan’s senators will complete their terms on March 11. There are 184 new candidates for those 52 seats, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan, although some of them are expected to withdraw and some others might not be allowed to run after scrutiny.
Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf is already crying foul, and has warned its legislators not to “sell their souls”. Some of them may disregard that advice. “There will be no place in our party for anyone who will sell their vote” in the Senate elections, warned the party’s chairman Imran Khan. Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said the government was aware of “horse-trading” by people with black money.
Of the 52 candidates that will be elected to the Senate, two will be from Islamabad, four from FATA, 12 each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, and 11 each from Punjab and Sindh. Most allegations of buying and selling of votes in the elections for the Upper House are made in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where political parties have weak organization.
“This is certainly going to be the most expensive election in the history of Senate,” said former Senator Hameedullah Afridi. “We could never have imagined the rates would get so high.”
A source said one vote from Balochistan may cost around Rs 30 million this year. A candidate needs nine votes to make it to the Senate. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the going rate is around Rs 20 million per vote, and the candidates need at least 17 legislators to vote for them. The middlemen are given their cut, he said.
Khyber Pakhtukhwa Governor Sardar Mehtab Khan recently met with representatives of all mainstream political parties of his province in Islamabad, and they resolved to frustrate the moves of all those candidates who were trying to buy votes.
But at about the same time, another source said, a rich family who has been accused of buying votes in the past was being assured by several Tehrik-e-Insaf legislators of their support. Two members of that family are contesting the Senate elections. Their approvers and seconders belong to the PTI and the PML-N.
Hamidullah Afridi said one candidate whose term will expire on March 11 was looking to get re-elected, and had approached lawmakers with “lucrative propositions”.
“It is unfortunate but true,” says Senator Haji Adeel of Awami National Party. “Money plays a vital role in Senate elections. But you should not blame the smaller provinces alone. In Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the deals are made by the lawmakers individually. In Punjab and Sindh, they are made at the party level.”
Col (r) Khalid Munir said some legislators from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa approached him asking if a rich and influential family he is close to were running for Senate. “If members of a rich family are in the Senate race, the rates go up.”
In a recent statement, Asfandyar Wali, the chief of Awami National Party, demanded an open ballot. With strong evidence of bribery in the upcoming elections, remedial measures were necessary, he said.
Analyst Zafarullah Khan says there are no laws that stop a member of a party from voting for Senate candidates who do not belong to their own party – so Imran Khan’s warning may not work – and lawmakers have a legal right to secret balloting. He said political parties must strengthen their ranks to avoid horse-trading, or make new laws.
PTI is expected to be a key victim of the trading of votes. With 56 members in the provincial assembly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the party is hoping to get five Senators elected, with some help from its allies. But it may to lose at least one of those seats, and the reason is not the buying and selling of votes alone. A number of the party’s legislators disagree with the leadership’s choice of Senate candidate, and may vote for others.
Shahzad Raza is an Islamabad-based journalist
Twitter: @shahzadrez