News

Chief Observer For Elections Mission Michael Gahler advises against electronic voting, biometric verification and voting rights to overseas Pakistanis; recommends CEC’s appointment through two-thirds majority; deploys an electoral follow-up mission to Pakistan to assess reforms process

ISLAMABAD: The European Union (EU) has opposed electronic voting, bio-metric verification and granting of voting rights to Overseas Pakistanis for next general elections under much needed electoral reforms.

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani on Tuesday called for massive participation of Iranians in the upcoming parliamentary and Assembly of Experts polls due to be held later this month, saying a high turnout would guarantee the Islamic Establishment.

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to hold the by-election in Sindh Assembly’s PS-76 (Old Dadu) constituency on March 3.

According to the ECP spokesman, nomination papers will be filed from Feb 8 to 9 and the verification process will be completed on Feb 11.

The candidates can file appeals to the tribunals against the decisions of the returning officers until Feb and the tribunals would decide on their appeals until Feb 16.

The 35th session to elect a president was postponed on Monday following a lack of quorum at parliament as officials voiced their ongoing disappointment with some blocs' boycott of the polls.

Speaker Nabih Berri scheduled a new electoral session for March 2.

Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb lamented after the failed meeting the current state of democracy in Lebanon, calling for an amendment to the constitution that forces lawmakers to attend the polls.

ABU DHABI // The happiest nation in the Arab world is planning on getting even happier.

As part of a major Federal Government shake-up, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, on Monday announced the new post of Minister of State for Happiness, the first of its kind in the region and one of the few in the world.

“It’s a historical decision,” said Saeed Al Nazari, an Emirati who started a UAE chapter of the Global Happiness Organisation, a non-profit body that aims to promote happiness worldwide.

Tehran, Feb 7, IRNA – President Hassan Rouhani urged the nation to take part in the upcoming elections in Iran under any circumstances.

Addressing a gathering on women, development and moderation here Sunday, the President regretted that the country was presently suffering from extremism from both ends.

He said extremism takes its roots not from violence but from minds.

The President further noted that many of the problems in the present world are also rooted in extremism because certain people know nothing but extremist practices.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council, has reversed a ban on 1,500 candidates who had registered to run in Feb. 26 parliamentary elections.

State TV on Saturday said that says a list of approved candidates has been conveyed to Iran’s Interior Ministry.

The council, which is responsible for vetting candidates, had disqualified a large number of moderates, but it’s not clear how many of the approved candidates are considered to be reformists.

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday postponed indefinitely the local bodies elections on reserved seats in Sindh and Punjab, further delaying the local government setup in the provinces.

A notification, issued by the poll supervisory authority, said that the polls were being postponed since the “matter was sub judice”, without elaborating further.

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Participatory Democracy for Afghanistan (PDFA) on Thursday asked President Ashraf Ghani to remove commissioners on the two electoral bodies as soon as possible.
PDFA said reforms in laws and the electoral regime were a vital part of the national unity government agreement.
Asadullah Mohseni, head of PDFA, told a news conference in Kabul that the electoral system could not be reformed despite efforts of the Electoral Reform Commission (ERC) that had shared its two sets of suggestions about reforms with the Presidential Palace.