THE Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided for a fresh redrawing of constituencies based on the new census data, causing a delay in the upcoming general elections that were initially planned to occur within the constitutionally mandated 90-day window following the dissolution of the parliament last week.
The decision follows the swearing-in of a newly appointed caretaker prime minister, Anwaarul Haq Kakar, who heads an 18-member cabinet comprising experts and non-political figures. This cabinet has been tasked with overseeing the country's affairs until the elections are held.
The lower house of the Pakistani parliament, consisting of 342 members, was scheduled to conclude its five-year tenure on August 12. However, the National Assembly was dissolved three days earlier by former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, ostensibly to allow a 90-day period for election preparations. According to the schedule released by the ECP, the process of delimitation, which involves defining electoral constituencies, will conclude on December 14. This extends beyond the constitutionally mandated 90-day period after assembly dissolution.
"In pursuance of Article 51 of the Constitution and Section 17(2) of the Election Act of 2017, the ECP has approved the schedule for carrying out delimitation of the constituencies afresh in accordance with official results of 7th population and Housing Census-2023,” the ECP said in a notification.
The National Assembly's dissolution occurred on August 9, with elections originally due before November 9.
However, due to the extended timeline required for the delimitation process, the actual polling might be delayed by a few months.
This delay isn't unprecedented, as similar circumstances were witnessed earlier in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces, where elections weren't held within the prescribed 90-day period after provincial assembly dissolution in January.
Pakistan is grappling with an economic crisis. A significant development in this regard occurred when the Pakistan government and the International Monetary Fund reached an agreement on June 29.
The agreement involves a $3 billion (£2.35 billion) Standby Arrangement (SBA) intended to rescue the ailing economy. This accord followed protracted negotiations between the two entities, which brought the country close to default.
Pakistan's neighbour India will hold its general elections in 2024.
(With PTI inputs)
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