The Election Commission of Pakistan said that the general elections will be held in the last week of January 2024.
Islamabad:
Pakistan’s election commission today announced that general elections in the country will be held in the last week of January 2024, amid growing pressure from political parties pushing for timely elections in the troubled country. of liquidity.
In a statement, the electoral body said it reviewed the work of delimitation of electoral districts and the initial list for delimitation of electoral districts would be published on September 27.
He said the parties could raise objections after the ECP would address all objections and suggestions.
After hearing objections and suggestions on the list, the final list will be issued on November 30, after which the electoral calendar will be published, he said.
He said that at the end of delimitation, he would announce a 54-day election program and that “polls will be held in the last week of January 2024.”
Pakistan’s National Assembly was dissolved on August 9 and constitutionally elections were supposed to be held within 90 days, but the process was delayed by the ECP due to the delimitation exercise that became mandatory following the new census conducted this year. anus.
The previous government, just days before the end of its term, approved the census results that forced the ECP to create a new electoral district based on the most recent population.
The move raised fears that elections due to be held within 90 days could be delayed until next year as the delimitation process would take about four months to complete.
The decision to shorten the delimitation deadline comes amid growing pressure on the ECP from various political parties who pushed for timely elections.
The Constitution also states that the ECP must complete the delimitation process within 120 days.
An interim government is currently ruling the country and will continue until the new prime minister is chosen through elections.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has said that the caretaker government is committed to upholding the democratic process in Pakistan by holding general elections and will not make any excuse to delay them.
In a letter to the ECP chief earlier this month, President Arif Alvi, who was a founding member of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, unilaterally proposed November 6 as the day for elections. , but the main election The body avoided commenting on its suggestion.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated channel.)