InMedia
Political temperatures cooled a bit last week after the Election Commission deferred its decision on the fate of the People Power party for two weeks.
The EC was due to decide on Aug 19 whether to recommend the dissolution of the PPP or not. A decision on that will now be due on Sept 2.
The dissolution of a political party has long been a contentious issue. Those in support say it is necessary to dissolve a party whose executive members have committed electoral fraud. Those against say no other democratic country has a law which allows for the dissolution of a political party. If a party member or executive member violates the election law, that person should be punished, not the entire party. They support the amendment of Article 237, which calls for party dissolution and a five-year ban on executive members of the disbanded party.
There are other ways to stop vote buying or other forms of electoral fraud, such as by increasing the penalty on violators, and letting them pay for the cost of organising new elections. Long-term imprisonment and heavy fines will also discourage politicians from doing wrong.
Political parties are social institutions. They are important mechanisms in the country's political system. Political parties are disbanded only when their policies or actions prove detrimental to the democratic system.
Finally, what's the use of dissolving a party when its members can form a new one?
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