President Alvi invites opposition parties to witness e-voting demonstration

ISLAMABAD: President of Pakistan Arif Alvi said Wednesday clarifying the confusion around electronic voting machines (EVM) that the new technology implementation would not mean voiding of ballot papers because that will remain to be a part of the e-voting system, ARY News reported.

President Alvi, earlier today in a private news channel interview, offered the opposition parties to develop a consensus over the introduction of electronic voting machines (EVMs) after witnessing a demonstration. He said the old balloting system is not being done away in the new electronic voting system.

The biometric system will, upon registering the identity of the voted will release the ballot paper and then it will be cast in the box, he said.

“I invite the opposition parties to Aiwan-e-Sadr or parliament, whatever best suits their convenience, to witness the demonstration,” the President said adding that even in the neighboring country India the EVM has been in practice since 1985.

The parties could share their reservations after witnessing the exercise and those can be addressed, he said.

President Alvi further invited over the media to also join them during the demonstration and report on the prototype.

We want all political parties on board in introducing EVM in the election process, he said.

He noted even in the 2017 electoral reforms the biometric system was integrated, adding that biometric will establish the identity of the actual voter.

Earlier last week on the EVM matter, Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed in a series of tweets that all parties are crying foul and claiming rigging in Thursday’s NA-249 by-election.

He said the same happened in the Daska by-election recently and in the Senate elections in March. In fact, apart from the 1970 election, in every election claims of rigging have raised doubts over the credibility of election results, he pointed out.