Sanjrani starts consultations on open ballot for Senate polls

ISLAMABAD – Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani has started consultations with the relevant stakeholders to give Upper House’s response to the Supreme Court on presidential reference seeking an opinion on ‘open ballot’ for the Senate elections.

Attorney General (AG) Khalid Jawed Khan on Wednesday called on Chairman Senate at latter’s chamber to brief him on the government’s stance for holding the up-coming Senate election through show of hands 

AG briefed the chairman on the presidential reference sent to the Supreme Court to change the election procedure for the Upper House, said a statement issued by the Senate Secretariat. 

Sanjrani was also told about the provisions in the Constitution and the Elections Act, 2017 regarding voting procedure for the Senate polls. 

During the meeting, Chairman Senate also informed the AG about his earlier meeting with Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser on this issue.

The apex court is seized with the matter of maintainability of the presidential reference seeking an opinion on “open ballot” for the Senate elections.  

In December last year, President Dr Arif Alvi, on the proposal of Prime Minister Imran Khan, had sought from the court whether the condition of secret ballot under Article 226 of the Constitution applies to the Senate elections or not. In the reference, he had sought whether Section 122(6) of the Elections Act, 2017 could be amended, without amending the Constitution, to hold the Senate polls on open ballot instead of secret ballot. 

In the last hearing, SC had issued notices to the advocate generals of the four provinces and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), the NA Speaker, Senate Chairmanand fixed the next hearing on January 11. 

In the mid-December last year, PM Imran Khan’s government had decided to hold Senate elections through show of hands to bring transparency, and discourage floor crossing in these polls.

The elections for 52 seats of the Senate are to be held because half members of the 104-member house will retire on March 11.