Pakistan: Polls stand delayed as Election Commission to conduct delimitation exercise
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
The general elections in Pakistan stand to be delayed after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday (August 17) decided to conductfresh delimitation of constituencies.
With elections previously scheduled to be held in November and the caretaker government already in place, the start of the exercise means it is virtually impossible that the elections will be held within 90 days. The Pakistani constitution stipulates that the ECP must conduct general elections within 90 days of the dissolution of parliament.
The ECP is expected to release the final publication of delimitation on December 14, later this year, according to Pakistan news agencyDawn.
Earlier this month,ECP hadexplicitly expressed its inability to hold the polls based on the latest census results.
“The general elections 2023 for the national and provincial assemblies will be conducted as per the limits of the constituencies published by the Commission on August 5 last year,” a senior ECP official was quoted as saying by Dawn.
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The official added that a constitutional amendment would be required following the official publication of census results, which was technically not possible after the acceptance of the resignations of the lawmakers.
“The ECP will have no other option but to hold upcoming general elections on the basis of the existing delimitation,” he added.
ECP statement came after theCouncil of Common Interests (CCI) approved the results of the 2023 digital census, making the fresh delimitation exercise almost compulsory.
Cabinet takes oath
The decision by the ECP to go ahead with the exercise comes on the same day as the caretaker cabinet of Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar was administered the oath by President Arif Alvi.Jalil Abbas Jilani was appointed the foreign affairs minister while Sarfraz Bugti was entrusted with the internal affairs ministry.
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Previously, former PM Shehbaz Sharif had hinted that the elections could be delayed.In an interview, Sharif said elections should be held under the new census.
“We have to hold the elections on the basis of the new census...When a census has been conducted, the [polls] should be held on its basis unless there is an obstacle that cannot be overcome. But I don’t see [any such hurdle],” Sharif said.
When quizzed if holding elections, based on the new census will delay the elections or not, Shehbaz dropped the ball in ECP's court saying it was their job.
(With inputs from agencies)
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