ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan inched towards general elections, the country’s main electoral body announced on Thursday that it was ready to hold the polls within the stipulated constitutional period.
He National AssemblyParliament’s lower house would complete its five-year term on August 12 and be dissolved, making it mandatory to hold elections within the next 60 days.
However, if it is dissolved before the end of the period, the election must be held within 90 days.
Senior officials of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), including ECP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan, Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal and others, briefed the media on the preparation of the elections.
The special secretary said that the ECP was ready to “hold elections on October 11 if the National Assembly were to be dissolved on August 12,” adding that it would hold elections within 90 days if the assembly were to be dissolved earlier.
He also said that political parties and candidates will be closely monitored to comply with the rules, especially those related to spending during the upcoming general elections.
“Any party or candidate that exceeds the electoral spending limit will face legal action. We have established a system to monitor financial matters,” he said.
However, there is still confusion over whether the coalition government would allow the assembly to complete its term or dissolve it to allow more time for elections.
According to some reports, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan People’s Party have agreed to dissolve the assembly on August 8, but there is no clarity on this as the government still insists that the term would be completed.
However, the prime minister Shehbaz Sharif he has made it clear that the government would be handed over to an interim configuration in August to oversee the elections.
Meanwhile, the government announced that the elections would be conducted on the basis of the old census that was conducted in 2017 despite the demand by some political parties that the polls be conducted on the basis of the new digital census conducted earlier this year.
Additionally, young voters under the age of 35 are expected to make up 45 percent of eligible voters and play a decisive role in the upcoming general election, according to statistics obtained from the ECP.
The number of registered voters in the country exceeds 126 million, including 60.8 million male voters and 50.7 million female voters.
More than 20.35 million voters were between the ages of 18 and 25, 30.26 million voters were between the ages of 26 and 35, and 20.77 million were between the ages of 36 and 45.
The ratio of male and female voters in Pakistan stood at 54.02 percent and 45.98 percent respectively, according to the report.
He National AssemblyParliament’s lower house would complete its five-year term on August 12 and be dissolved, making it mandatory to hold elections within the next 60 days.
However, if it is dissolved before the end of the period, the election must be held within 90 days.
Senior officials of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), including ECP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan, Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal and others, briefed the media on the preparation of the elections.
The special secretary said that the ECP was ready to “hold elections on October 11 if the National Assembly were to be dissolved on August 12,” adding that it would hold elections within 90 days if the assembly were to be dissolved earlier.
He also said that political parties and candidates will be closely monitored to comply with the rules, especially those related to spending during the upcoming general elections.
“Any party or candidate that exceeds the electoral spending limit will face legal action. We have established a system to monitor financial matters,” he said.
However, there is still confusion over whether the coalition government would allow the assembly to complete its term or dissolve it to allow more time for elections.
According to some reports, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan People’s Party have agreed to dissolve the assembly on August 8, but there is no clarity on this as the government still insists that the term would be completed.
However, the prime minister Shehbaz Sharif he has made it clear that the government would be handed over to an interim configuration in August to oversee the elections.
Meanwhile, the government announced that the elections would be conducted on the basis of the old census that was conducted in 2017 despite the demand by some political parties that the polls be conducted on the basis of the new digital census conducted earlier this year.
Additionally, young voters under the age of 35 are expected to make up 45 percent of eligible voters and play a decisive role in the upcoming general election, according to statistics obtained from the ECP.
The number of registered voters in the country exceeds 126 million, including 60.8 million male voters and 50.7 million female voters.
More than 20.35 million voters were between the ages of 18 and 25, 30.26 million voters were between the ages of 26 and 35, and 20.77 million were between the ages of 36 and 45.
The ratio of male and female voters in Pakistan stood at 54.02 percent and 45.98 percent respectively, according to the report.
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