Pakistan moves to delay elections

[dubyaD40web]

Source: Guardian Unlimited

Pakistan moves to delay elections

Electoral officials in Pakistan today recommended delaying general elections for several weeks after the assassination of the opposition politician Benazir Bhutto.

The electoral commission warned that regional governments were not ready for the elections, which are scheduled to take place on January 8. A government source indicated that the recommendation would be accepted.

The commission took into account that 11 election offices had been burnt down in rioting, ballot boxes destroyed and the printing and distribution of ballot papers disrupted in the four days since Bhutto's killing.

Kanwar Dilashad, the commission secretary, said a final decision would be announced tomorrow. A government source said it expected the delay to be around six weeks.



Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,2233653,00.html

[Endangered Specie]

1. I hope W doesn't get any bright ideas from this...

[Igel]

2. I doubt it.

Actually, I've been thinking that if I were on the electoral commission I'd have argued for a delay. But I'd have phrased it differently: I'd expect reduced campaigning efforts during the officially declared period of mourning for Bhutto. That's 40 days. So I'd shift the date back by 40 days: The elections were going to be held the second Tuesday after her death. I'd have rescheduled them for the second Tuesday after the mourning period is over, assuming there's no Muslim, Xian, or Hindu holiday or observance to interfere.

(That's why 1/8 was the scheduled date: A big Shi'ite observance starts on 1/9.)

[Matilda]

3. IF the elections go ahead in February,

(and it's still a big "if"), it could actually benefit the PPP team.

With Bhutto gone, they need a bit of time to plan a new strategy, even
though there's a possibility of a strong sympathy vote anyway.