ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday decided to appoint District Returning Officers (DROs) and Returning Officers (ROs) from the lower judiciary for the upcoming general elections.
ECP officials have written to registrars of high courts asking them to provide a list of judges from the lower judiciary who can be spared for this purpose.
DROs and ROs are required to ensure the transparency of general elections. Their responsibilities include implementing electoral guidelines, deciding on the qualification or disqualification of candidates, tabulating final results and addressing electoral complaints on the spot.
While Pakistan’s constitution requires executive authorities to help the ECP conduct free and fair elections, members of the lower judiciary have come to play this role in recent elections. In 2013, for example, a significant number of lower-court judges worked as DROs and ROs.
Judges to be appointed to oversee election transparency
Judges to be appointed to oversee election transparency
