The Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) latest Democracy Index reveals a decline in Pakistan’s democratic standing, dropping from 3.25 in 2023 to 2.84 in 2024. This downturn is attributed to political turmoil, notably the contentious general elections.
The report highlights widespread violence both before and during the February 8, 2024, polling day. The EIU also pointed out the pre-election imprisonment of Imran Khan, a popular political figure whose own democratic record has been questioned.
Despite a record voter turnout, according to the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen), the electoral process was marred by concerns over democratic rights and freedoms. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) raised significant concerns about the election’s reliability.
HRCP’s on-site monitoring across 51 constituencies revealed critical issues, including a nationwide internet and mobile service shutdown, last-minute changes to polling station information, and substantial delays in result announcements.
Post-election processes were also criticized. HRCP reported that in a fifth of observed polling stations, presiding officers failed to publicly display vote counts or transmit results to the returning officers and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Allegations of discrepancies between presiding officers’ counts and returning officers’ announcements were widespread.
Reports also surfaced of candidates, polling agents, and observers being denied access to witness the provisional consolidation of results. Geo Election Cell (GEC) investigations further revealed widespread alterations to polling forms, with evidence of vote manipulation in some polling stations.
The EIU report also indicated a global decline in democratic health, reaching its lowest point in nearly two decades. Norway retained its top spot with a score of 9.81, followed by New Zealand and Sweden. Afghanistan remained at the bottom, while Bangladesh experienced a significant drop of 25 places.
