Elections in Pakistan on Feb 8

ISLAMABAD: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and President Arif Alvi Thursday agreed that the overall elections will happen throughout Pakistan on February 8, 2024.

The event got here after an ECP delegation headed by CEC Raja and Legal professional Normal for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan met Alvi on the President’s Secretariat to debate the ballot date, an announcement from Alvi’s workplace mentioned.

“It was [then] unanimously determined that the election will likely be held on Thursday, February 8,” the assertion added.

The assembly between the edges was on orders of the Supreme Courtroom, which had instructed the election fee to seek the advice of with the president and inform the SC concerning the ballot date tomorrow (Friday).

The ECP — in as we speak’s Supreme Courtroom listening to of petitions calling for well timed polls throughout the nation — had informed the highest courtroom that polls could be held on February 11, however the SC requested the fee to seek the advice of with the president.

Following the consensus, AGP Awan and CEC Raja will inform the highest courtroom concerning the resolution.

The courtroom — within the order issued after the listening to — had instructed the AGP to rearrange the assembly between ECP and Alvi, present the president with the courtroom order, and be accessible to render help.

“We anticipate that the matter of appointing a date for holding common elections shall be settled, and this courtroom will likely be knowledgeable tomorrow (Friday),” the highest courtroom mentioned within the order.

PTI, PPP, PML-N reply

The Pakistan Peoples Occasion (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the three main political events of the nation, had welcomed the ECP announcement that elections within the nation will happen on February 11, 2024.

Welcoming the ECP’s announcement, PPP’s Nayyer Bukhari has mentioned that his celebration has been calling for holding well timed elections.

“Unelected particular person or cupboard would not have proper to rule the nation… the elections ought to have been held inside 90 days as per the Structure,” he mentioned whereas talking to Geo Information.

PML-N senior chief Ayaz Sadiq welcomed the announcement saying that it’s a optimistic growth that the method to carry elections has commenced.

Nonetheless, he mentioned fixing date polls is the mandate of the ECP.

PML-N chief Irfan Siddiqui informed Geo Information that the ECP announcement is a optimistic growth as it’s going to guarantee stability within the nation.

“I welcome this growth much more as a result of the announcement got here from Supreme Courtroom which has elevated its sanctity,” he remarked.

PTI lawyer Barrister Ali Zafar termed the SC proceedings as “histori” as ambiguity relating to the polls ended with it.

“Somebody mentioned the polls will likely be staged whereas somebody mentioned polls is not going to be staged. It was a worrisome state of affairs,” the senator mentioned whereas speaking to media after the SC listening to

Zafar mentioned that the SC made it clear that the elections had been speculated to be staged inside 90 days of the dissolution of assemblies.

He then referred to as on the ECP to launch an election schedule as per the Structure after session with President Arif Alvi as directed by the courtroom. The excellent news of elections has been obtained after a very long time, he added.

The nation has been gripped in political uncertainty ever for the reason that Imran Khan authorities was eliminated by a no-confidence movement in April 2022.

Ambiguity 

The Shehbaz Sharif-led authorities dissolved the Nationwide Meeting on August 9, whereas Sindh and Balochistan assemblies had been additionally prematurely dissolved to permit the electoral authority to carry elections within the nation inside 90 days.

Had the assemblies been dissolved on time, the electoral physique was constitutionally sure to carry polls in 60 days.

Nonetheless, the ECP determined towards holding polls inside the stipulated time because the Council of Frequent Curiosity (CCI), days earlier than the dissolution of the assemblies, permitted the seventh Inhabitants and Housing Census 2023.

The CCI approval made it obligatory for the fee to carry elections following recent delimitations in mild of the outcomes of the census.

Subsequently, on August 17, the ECP introduced the schedule of latest delimitations to be carried out as per the brand new census outcomes.

However in September, the fee introduced that common elections within the nation would happen within the final week of January 2024.

In the identical month, the ECP additionally launched the provisional report on the delimitation of constituencies. Nonetheless, earlier than the announcement, a number of petitions had been filed within the Supreme Courtroom towards the delay in polls.

All of the petitioners had requested the apex courtroom to make sure that polls are held inside 90 days.

These petitions had been filed in the course of the tenure of former chief justice Umar Ata Bandial, nonetheless, they weren’t fastened for a listening to.