The Facts
Pakistan's electoral commission (ECP) declared on Saturday that the upcoming general elections will be held as planned on Feb. 8, citing its constitutional mandate to conduct timely and transparent elections.
This comes a day after the country's Senate approved, 13 to 1, a non-binding resolution to delay the vote due to the cold weather and security concerns, primarily in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, at a session that was skipped by the vast majority of senators.
The Spin
Narrative A
If they ever take place — and this delay proposal has been just the latest indication that the public may be right to be skeptical about a timely election— the upcoming Pakistani elections will be anything but free and fair. First and foremost, the country has been ruled by an illegitimate caretaker government. Moreover, the ECP has denied the PTI its rights to nominate first-choice candidates as well as to campaign.
Narrative B
While the nonsensical resolution to postpone the polls with little more than a month in advance prompted concerns about democracy in Pakistan, the fact that even the Pakistan Muslim League (N) Party has forcefully opposed any further delays indicates that the electoral process will move forward. In light of the unyielding determination of the Supreme Court to hold elections on Feb. 8, one has no reason to doubt that this will happen.
