The anticipated delimitation of constituencies throughout the nation is scheduled to be disclosed in December of this year.
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-August 17th, 2023) The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has unveiled a timetable for the forthcoming delimitation process, prompted by the recent approval of a new census by the Council of Common Interest (CCI).
The anticipated delimitation of Constituencies throughout the nation is scheduled to be disclosed in December of this year.
The proposed schedule from the ECP indicates that this comprehensive delimitation will span approximately four months, thereby necessitating that general elections not be conducted within a 90-day window following the dissolution of both provincial and national assemblies.
Outlined in the ECP's plan, the constituency redrawing is set to take place across Pakistan from September 8 to October 7. Furthermore, the submission of constituency proposals is expected to occur between October 10 and November 8. The allotment of national and provincial assembly constituency quotas has been designated for September 5 to September 7, according to the electoral authority.
In terms of administrative logistics, all matters related to constituencies are anticipated to conclude by August 31, while the establishment of constituency committees for the four provinces and Islamabad is slated for completion by August 21.
The ECP has earmarked the period from November 10 to December 9 to address any objections related to the constituencies, underscoring the finalization of the digital census publication. It is obligatory for the ECP to delineate new boundaries for numerous provincial and national assembly constituencies across the nation in accordance with the Election Act, the statement added.
Earlier this month, the CCI, presided over by former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, gave its nod to the definitive outcomes of the 7th Population and Housing Census 2023, which recorded the nation's population at 241.49 million, reflecting a growth rate of 2.55%.
Consequently, the CCI's endorsement has rendered it constitutionally obligatory for the ECP to arrange elections subsequent to the implementation of the updated constituency demarcations derived from the 7th census data.
In line with Article 51 (5) of the Constitution, the distribution of National Assembly seats among provinces and the Federal capital is predicated upon the most recent officially published census figures.
The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led administration opted to dissolve the national and provincial assemblies of Sindh and Balochistan ahead of schedule, thereby affording the ECP a 90-day timeframe, as opposed to the conventional 60 days, for orchestrating elections, should the legislature fulfill its constitutionally stipulated term.
Prominent former federal ministers, including Rana Sanaullah, have asserted that the delimitation process might potentially defer elections in the country until March of the upcoming year.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) lodged a formal request with the Supreme Court, urging for a directive to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to establish a specific date for the forthcoming elections to the national and provincial assemblies, in accordance with Article 224(2) of the Constitution.
Within the confines of its plea, the esteemed organization of legal professionals implored the apex court to temporarily halt the execution of the decision dated August 5, issued by the Council of Common Interest (CCI).
Casting doubt on the developments that transpired during the CCI's meeting on August 5, the SCBA contended that the participation of the interim chief ministers in the assembly was not within the bounds of eligibility.
"The session convened by the Second Party in question [CCI] took place on 05.08.2023, with the presence of the prime minister, the chief executives of Sindh and Balochistan, the interim chief executives representing the Third Party (Punjab) and Fourth Party [KP], and additional federal ministers," as stated in the formal submission.
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