Electorates

All the people in a country or area who are entitled to vote in an election.

"75 per cent of the electorate voted for a Scottish parliament in some form"

Separate electorates are usually demanded by minorities who feel it would otherwise be

difficult for them to get fair representation in government. For example, separate electorate for
Muslims means that Muslims will choose their separate leader by separate elections for
Muslims.

Who organizes election?

Electoral management

An Electoral Management Body (EMB) is an organization or body that has the sole purpose of, and is
legally responsible for, managing some or all of the elements that are essential for the conduct of
elections and direct democracy instruments—such as referendums, citizens’ initiatives and recall votes
—if those are part of the legal framework. These essential (or core) elements include:

 determining who is eligible to vote;

 receiving and validating the nominations of electoral participants (for elections,
political parties and/or candidates);
 conducting polling;
 counting the votes; and
 tabulating the votes.

If these essential elements are allocated to various bodies, then all bodies that share these
responsibilities can be considered EMBs. An EMB may be a stand- alone institution, or a distinct
management unit within a larger institution that may also have non-electoral tasks.

The Electorate
An EMB exists primarily to render services to the electorate — not only those who regularly vote, but
those who are entitled to vote. Given the many and wide-ranging tasks an EMB performs on behalf of
voters, it needs to keep the electorate informed about its activities and programmes, and seek its views
on EMB processes and performance. It is wrong to assume that, since political  parties, CSOs, the
legislature and the government are the institutions that by and large represent the electorate, an EMB
need only deal with these institutions and can ignore individual voters.
An EMB can profit from creating direct channels of communication with the electorate. Potential
means include telephone inquiry services; public inquiry desks and suggestions boxes at locations
such as markets, shopping precincts or transport hubs; and interactive radio and television
programming and ‘town hall’-type meetings featuring EMB members. Publicizing a list of EMB contact
persons and their contact details on a regular basis is always a valuable service. In India, the EMB
publishes a directory of contact details at the national level on its website within the information
published under the Right to Information Act, and senior staff at the state level are appointed as public
information officers. During the 2006 general elections in Fiji, the electoral office distributed a voter
satisfaction survey at a sample of polling stations to collect impressions and direct feedback from
voters on the conduct of the elections. At a number of elections in Australia, the EMB has arranged a
survey involving structured interviewing of voters leaving polling stations; it has also commissioned a
stakeholder satisfaction survey focused on candidates, political parties, the media and state electoral
offices. More generally, feedback from voters can be obtained through focus groups research and
broader surveys of voters.

It is important that an EMB respond quickly and accurately to all questions and comments received
from the public. A delayed response, or no response, gives the EMB a public image of an inefficient
organization that is not interested in serving the electorate. An EMB may also need to make extra effort
to provide electoral services, materials and information to those marginalized through disability,
illiteracy or remoteness.

An EMB can use the media to inform and educate the electorate about elections, and undertake its own
publicity programmes — such as print and audiovisual information products, and a regularly updated
website—to keep voters in touch with its activities. It is helpful to set up a professional unit within the
EMB to deal with media relations and voter information.

The organization and administration of multiparty democratic elections was not previously considered
newsworthy. An election or direct democracy poll— such as a referendum—is, however, often the single
largest activity that is ever organized in a country. It is a very complex administrative task, which is
implemented in a politically charged atmosphere. When it is done well, it may attract little comment.
When it is not done well, or when it is undermined, the effects can be catastrophic.

Since the mid-1980s, there has also been an unprecedented commitment to electoral reforms around
the world, driven by the realization in political and electoral administration circles that changing social
environments required a rethink of electoral arrangements, by the critical attention of the media and
election observers and by the emergence of global and regional organizations promoting democracy.
As scrutiny of elections increased, from the early 1990s the lack of experience and the ‘knowledge gap’
in the technical know-how for election management was overtaken by a ‘credibility gap’ in many
electoral institutions—a diminished public confidence in the integrity and diligence of their activities.

Political parties
In politics, a political party is an organized group of people who have the same ideology, or who
otherwise have the same political positions, and who field candidates for elections, in an attempt to
get them elected and thereby implement their agenda. Political parties are a defining element
of representative democracy.[1]
While there is some international commonality in the way political parties are recognized and in how
they operate, there are often many differences, some of which are significant. Most of political
parties have an ideological core, but some do not, and many represent ideologies very different from
their ideology at the time the party was founded. Many countries, such as Germany and India, have
several significant political parties, and some nations have one-party systems, such
as China and Cuba. The United States is in practice a two-party system but with many smaller
parties also participating.

Political parties in Pakistan

Major parties

 1.1Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
 1.2Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan
 1.3Pakistan Muslim League – N
 1.4Pakistan People's Party
 1.5Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP)
 1.6Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT)
 1.7Barabri Party Pakistan (BPP)
 1.8Awami National Party
 1.9Awami Workers Party (AWP)
 1.10Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (F)
 1.11Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM Pakistan)
 1.12Tehreek e Islami
 1.13Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP)
 1.14Pakistan Insani Haqooq Party (PIHP)
 1.15Pakistan Zindah Abad Movement (PZM)

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
Imran Khan leads Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) (Pakistan Movement for Justice) under the slogan:
"Change". On 25 April 1996, in Lahore, the PTI, a social democratic and Third Way political
movement, was founded by Imran Khan.
The PTI boycotted the 2008 elections but became more politically active by 2011.
The PTI claims to represent all Pakistanis regardless of religion, ethnicity, language or residence [citation
needed]
. It aims to create a modern, egalitarian, Islamic democratic and welfare state.[1][2][3] The PTI
promotes a nationalist agenda, arguing that terrorism, extremism and radicalism have increased
since Pakistan joined the War on Terror.
The Party emerged as country's second most popular party in 2013 elections.
It is currently the ruling party in the country. In 2018 General Elections, Imran Khan became the
Prime Minister of Pakistan and PTI secured 116 seats in National Assembly and made a clean
sweep in KPK by taking 63 seats in Provincial Assembly. PTI also formed Government in Punjab,
took majority of seats in the largest city of Karachi and collaborated with Government in Balochistan.

Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan
Jamaat-e-Islami, (Urdu: ‫ت اسالمی‬ ِ ‫جماع‬, "Islamic Congress"), abbreviated JI, is a socially
conservative and Islamist political party based in Pakistan. Its objective is the transformation
of Pakistan into an Islamic state, governed by Sharia law, through a gradual legal, and political
process.[4] JI strongly opposes capitalism, communism, liberalism, socialism and secularism as well
as economic practices such as offering bank interest. It strongly believes in a respectable role of
women in society, rather than using women as objects of advertisement. [5]JI is a vanguard party: its
members form an elite with "affiliates" and then "sympathizers" beneath them. The party leader is
called an ameer.[6](p70) Although it does not have a large popular following, the party is quite
influential and considered one of the major Islamic movements in Pakistan, along
with Deobandi and Barelvi (represented by Jamiat Ulema-e Islam and Jamiat Ulema-e-
Pakistan respectively).[7][8] Through its welfare wing Al-Khidmat, JI runs several welfare projects
including orphan sponsorships, free hospitals & food distribution plans [9][10]. In times of national
emergencies, JI has had a history of keeping aside its political differences from incumbent
governments and acting for the benefit of the masses.[11]

Pakistan Muslim League – N

Pakistan Muslim League (N) is a large Centre-Right, political party of Pakistan, tracing its history to
the All-India Muslim League that played a central role in the creation of Pakistan under the
leadership of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Pakistan Muslim League re-emerged onto the
national political scene in Pakistan as part of the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad coalition against
the Pakistan Peoples Party in the elections held in 1988.
PML-N served two terms in the 1990s with Nawaz Sharif as the Prime Minister. His second term in
office was cut short by a military coup d'état led by General Musharraf. PML-N boycotted the general
elections in 2002. In the 2008 elections, PML-N formed government in the province of Punjab. In
2013 elections, the PML-N secured a majority in the National Assembly. It formed government in the
center, Punjab and a coalition government in the province of Balochistan, followed by governments
in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. Nawaz Sharif was elected Prime Minister for the
third time in 2013. In the general elections of 2018, PTI completely marginalised it by winning
majority of seats and making government in center and three of the provinces.

Pakistan People's Party

On 30 November 1967, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a democratic socialist party, was founded
by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (1928–1979). The PPP ran in the 1970 general election with a socialist agenda
of Roti, Kapra, Makan (Food, clothes, shelter). It favoured ties with China over the Western
nations and ruled Pakistan after the Fall of Dhaka. After completion of first parliamentary term, the
PPP succeeded in the Elections of 1977 but were quickly overthrown by Zia ul Haq. Under Benazir
Bhutto, the PPP became a secular party that promoted Social Liberalism as well as privatisation to
secure funding from the US and the World Bank. From March 2008 to March 2013, it was leading
party of the ruling coalition. Party faced defeat in elections of 2013. The PPP currently holds 41
senate seats and 42 national assembly seats.[13]

Key reasons behind the problems of Political Parties in

Pakistan.
 Pakistan came into being before 60 year almost but still endeavoring to develop the institution
of politics in its society. The founding father of this country, Mr. Jinnah, achieved this country
democratically and constitutionally. Unfortunately destiny did not give enough time to him to
draw the socio – economic, religious and political map of newly born state. During early 21
years of its life - 1947 to 1969 - Pakistan was governed by civil – military bureucracy under
oligarchic and authoritarian traditions. This was first chapter of dictatorship. Second and third
one were during 1979 to 1988 and 1999 to 2007 under military dictators.

Examining role of Political Parties in

Pakistan 
 |
 

The inter-party democracy is an essential ingredient for strengthening national democracy. Any
weakness in the former inevitably leads to weakness in the latter. There are three key roles that
the parties are required to serve. First is mobilizing, i.e., formulating agendas and structuring
coalitions around specific social issues; second is campaigning; and third is governance if they
assume office.

Parties have two differences that define them, namely organizational differences and agenda-
wise differences. Pertaining to the former, they differ first in whether the party leader’s way of
making decisions is personalized or bureaucratized. Personalized parties are formed around one
charming leader and are often dynastic. Bureaucratized parties are based on merit. Another major
organizational difference is related to party structures. While some parties have a structure that is
mass based with deep roots in their voting areas, others have haggard structures which limit their
abilities to mobilize their voting areas significantly.

There are two categories that parties can be divided into according to their agendas. One is
universalistic and the other is particularistic. Universalistic parties focus on problems that are not
confined to a limited number of issues, geography or demographics. On the other hand,
particularistic parties focus on a limited number of issues unique to a particular group or area of
the country.

Mature parties can be easily identified as they have a bureaucratized system, democratic
governance, mass structures and universalistic agendas.  However, in South Asia most parties
have personalized leadership, dynastic structures and overwhelming focus on patronage. While
the political situation in some countries has grown worse over time, some analysts opine that
with time and consistency, these parties would become similar to mature parties.

In Pakistan, majority of the parties have become either scrawny or stagnant over time and are
actually becoming puerile and worse overtime unlike the political parties of the past. Jinnah’s
Muslim League was a lot better than PML-N. The PPP today is an emaciated reflection of the
PPP in the 1960s. The MQM has been implicated in crime over time and has lost its old
charisma. The PTI has included the very people it rallies against in the party.