ISLAMABAD (PPI)- Following assurances of the supremacy of Parliament by President of Pakistan on Saturday during his first address to the joint sitting of the Parliament, Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) and Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) have launched the National Assembly component of its Parliament Watch Project (PWP). Under the project, detailed data about the processes within the National Assembly and the performance of its members will be collected through direct observation of legislative proceedings and then this information will be shared with the public through periodic reports. The main objective of the project is to provide useful information to voting citizens, legislators, political parties, legislative secretariats, media and others interested in Pakistan's democratic development. In order to vote wisely during elections, citizens need information about how their elected representatives are performing during their current terms in office. It is expected that the Parliament Watch Project will contribute both to more responsive governance between elections and to more meaningful and informed voting during elections. In the long-term, FAFEN and its members, like CPDI, want to help ensure that citizens hold their elected representatives accountable for leading Pakistan towards better, more transparent, and more responsive governance, as they have promised. PWP coordinators assigned to monitor proceedings in the National Assembly will fill out standardized checklists to assess adherence to and non-partisan implementation of parliamentary business procedures, MNAs' active and meaningful participation in legislative business, the transparency of the process, and other factors. The FAFEN checklists have been designed based on the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, the National Assembly of Pakistan Procedural Manual, and established best practices about parliamentary proceedings. The functions of the National Assembly being observed include the legislative function (making laws in the national interest), oversight function (ensuring that the government implements law and policy decided by the legislature), and constituency relations function (representing the interests of and being responsive to constituents). Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI), a founding member of the FAFEN civil society network, will implement the National Assembly component of the FAFEN programme. Four other FAFEN member organisations are taking the lead to observe the Provincial Assemblies.