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Posted: Nov 17, 2021 / 9:53 AM CST
Updated: 11/17/2021 / 9:53 AM CST
ISLAMABAD (AP) – The Pakistani parliament passed a controversial law on Wednesday allowing the use of electronic machines for voting. The opposition said the policy was an attempt to rig the next election.
Legislators have also passed a bill to give expats the right to vote. The bills have yet to be signed by President Arif Alvi, a formality.
The opposition wants the elections to continue according to a decades-old system of paper ballot papers and manual counting of votes.
In his speech ahead of the passing of the bills, opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif said Prime Minister Imran Khan was trying to manipulate the results of the next general election in 2023. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, leader of the opposition Pakistani People’s Party, warned of a boycott of the next elections if electronic counting machines were used.
Khan, who was present in parliament, defended the law and said he wanted to ensure free and fair elections. Khan says that millions of Pakistanis overseas should be given the right to vote for the candidates of their choice.
Khan came to power in the 2018 general election.
The latest legislation comes amid increasing Khan’s unpopularity due to a sudden surge in food prices.
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https://www.kxan.com/news/international/pakistans-parliament-passes-bill-to-allow-electronic-voting/
