The Political Price Tag: How Pakistan’s Elections Compare Globally

The Political Price Tag: How Pakistan’s Elections Compare Globally .The 2024 General Elections in Pakistan have established a new milestone, emerging as the most expensive electoral occasion in the country’s past. Each vote cast carried a hefty price of Rs2,522, resulting in the National Assembly (NA) and Provincial Assembly (PA) elections collectively surpassing Rs1 trillion in costs.

Candidates played a major role in reaching this amount, as their spending exceeded Rs1 trillion. In contrast, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) incurred its own substantial cost of Rs48 billion. A significant part of the ECP’s budget was dedicated to purchasing imported watermark paper, stationery, election materials, ballot papers, and envelopes.

The ECP established 92,000 polling stations across the country to facilitate voters. This distribution comprised of 52,412 stations in Punjab, more than 20,000 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 15,737 in Sindh, and 5,015 in Balochistan.

During the National Assembly race, an astounding amount of over Rs52 billion was spent by the candidates. In the Provincial Assembly elections, a staggering number of 12,853 candidates participated, collectively spending more than Rs5 billion. It is worth noting that approximately half of the candidates’ expenses were allocated towards polling agents and meals.The Political Price Tag: How Pakistan’s Elections Compare Globally.

The electoral procedure also encompassed substantial expenses for boundary delineations, revising voter registries, acquiring polling supplies, guaranteeing security arrangements, carrying out awareness initiatives, instructing election personnel, and implementing additional safety precautions.

Despite the thorough preparations and significant expenses, the system failed to deliver the election results promptly. Candidates nationwide contributed over Rs650 million, with a total of 8,322 nominations filed for the National Assembly’s general and reserved seats, and 20,304 nominations submitted for PA seats.

Despite the extensive preparations and substantial costs incurred, the system did not manage to provide the election results in a timely manner. Candidates from across the country collectively contributed over Rs650 million, with a total of 8,322 nominations submitted for the National Assembly’s general and reserved seats, and 20,304 nominations filed for Provincial Assembly seats.