The final week of January 2024 will see the country’s general elections, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The ECP said on Thursday that the list of constituencies for preliminary delimitations would be published on September 27.
It stated that the final list would be made public on November 30 following consideration of the concerns and recommendations for the constituencies.
The political parties have received a draft code of conduct for comment, according to the ECP.
What the proposed code states
or public order, or the independence or integrity of Pakistan’s court, or that disparages or makes fun of any government institution, including the judiciary and the military forces.
The ECP had previously stated that the elections were not feasible this year because a new delineation of constituencies based on a digital census was required.
The law’s stance
Elections must be held within 90 days following the National Assembly’s dissolution, which must take place by November 7 because the National Assembly was dissolved three days before the end of its legal term.
The Elections Act, however, also says in Section 17(2) that “the commission shall delimit constituencies after every census is officially published.”
The President suggests November 6 for the election.
The president suggested November 6 as the date for the nation’s general elections in a letter sent to Sikandar Sultan Raja, the head of the electoral commission, a few days ago.
“On August 9, 2023, the president dissolved the National Assembly on the prime minister’s recommendation.
The letter states that the President must “designate a date not later than ninety days from the date of the dissolution for the holding of a general election to the Assembly,” as required by Article 48(5) of the Constitution.
“Whereas, in accordance with Article 48(5), the general election for the National Assembly shall take place by the eighty-ninth day following the date of the dissolution of the National Assembly, i.e., Monday, November 6, 2023,” it continued.
The president stated that he invited the Chief Election Commissioner to a meeting in an effort to uphold his constitutional obligations and that the ECP responded by taking “a contrary view that as per the scheme of the Constitution and framework of electoral laws, it was the domain of the Election Commission, and following publication of the last prior census on August 7, 2023, duly notified
