Islamabad
The Feb 18 elections to elect a new National Assembly and provincial
legislatures in Pakistan would cost a record $3 billion, according
to a survey.
Projections by the survey, carried by a team of journalists, say the
whopping election expense includes expenditures incurred by the
federal and provincial governments, Election Commission, donors,
political parties and candidates.
In the absence of any comparable consolidated figures of
election-related spending during the 2002 elections, it was not
possible to work out the exact increase in the aggregate
expenditure, Dawn newspaper said Saturday.
"However, most analysts believe, and candidates admit in private
conversation, that the expenditure this year is three times more
than the last election," the newspaper said.
"The increase is mainly due to a sharp rise in security costs this
time, in view of a volatile political environment and threats of
terrorist attacks."
The cost has also gone up because the exercise is being conducted on
modern lines in order to ensure transparency, the newspaper added.
The double-digit inflation, private security arrangements and a new
head of expenses related to the electronic media have all done their
bit to a big hike in the budget.
The commercials made by the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) for
television channels sparked off a competition between political
parties for airtime.
The electronic media's effectiveness in reaching out to a largely
illiterate populace compelled parties to turn to TV channels. The
survey showed all political parties and candidates had, for obvious
reasons, understated the expenses made by them. However, cautious
estimates made on the basis of available data threw up a staggering
figure of Rs.20 million as the average expenditure for a provincial
assembly seat and Rs.50 million for a National Assembly seat.
In contrast, the Election Commission has stipulated a ceiling of
Rs.1.5 million for a National Assembly candidate and one million
rupees for a provincial assembly contestant.
"All attempts to trace the sources of financing or the modus
operandi of different parties to manage their election budgets were
in vain. The candidates seem to be spending without any need or
desire to keep proper accounts. There is no way to audit an
expenditure that has never been accounted for," the newspaper said.
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