General elections in Pakistan are scheduled on February 8. This announcement was made on Friday following a meeting between electoral commission officials and President Arif Alvi at the Supreme Court’s request, which ended speculation over the eagerly anticipated polls in the financially stressed nation.
Following a meeting between President Alvi and key election officials, and only hours after the counsel for the electoral commission informed the Supreme Court that elections will take place on February 11, the President’s House announced the revised date in a statement. Mansoor Usman Awan, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, and four electoral body members met with Alvi to discuss the general elections’ date, following Supreme Court orders.
Why Pakistan’s Poll Authority considering holding elections in Feb?
According to an announcement by the ECP, the final list of redesigned constituency maps will be released on November 30. This will provide 54 days for the submission of nomination papers, appeals, and campaigning. According to the ECP, it is required by the constitution that elections not be held until after constituencies have been reconfigured by the findings of the most recent census, a process that would need at least four months.
Political commentator, Benazir Shah charged the ECP with “evading one of its primary responsibilities” and expressed concern about the lack of a firm schedule for the poll. “The ECP has not explained the delay in announcing the date or election schedule,” the spokesperson stated. This hesitation occurs at a time when certain politicians—who are perceived as having ties to the military establishment—are making vague allusions to an extension of the caretaker government’s term. From Lahore, Shah stated, “The ECP has to address these concerns. Pakistan’s caretaker administration, led by Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, is tasked with ensuring fair elections, despite concerns over the country’s ability to conduct an impartial election.
Growing problems and Pakistan’s general elections
Pakistan’s already dubious economic future has been made much more unpredictable by political unrest. Before the International Monetary Fund approved a $3 billion rescue package in June, the nation was facing a balance of payments catastrophe as it struggled to pay off massive amounts of foreign debt and crippling inflation. The previous coalition administration implemented controversial policies, such as eliminating energy price subsidies and progressively raising the gasoline and energy tariffs, which resulted in unprecedented inflation in the nation and sparked widespread demonstrations.
Pakistan’s interim set-up is facing criticism for its lack of transparency and fairness in polls. Faisal Karim Kundi, a senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), believes that clean elections are necessary to resolve the country’s uncertainty. Meanwhile, Pervez Rashid, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), argues that elections are a significant event and his party has “complete trust” in the election body. Rashid claims that his party was given a fair shot in only one out of the last four elections, highlighting the importance of fair elections in a nuclear-armed country.
Pakistan’s election body is set to create new boundaries due to potential delays in the upcoming polls
The Pakistan Election Commission (EC) plans to draw new boundaries for hundreds of constituencies before the upcoming elections, causing polls to likely be delayed. The finalization of these boundaries is expected by December 14, and the EC will set an election date after the new boundaries are drawn.
Pakistan’s political turmoil has led to the likely delay of the general election, as former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government was dissolved on August 9, causing a delay of November at the latest. The delay was due to Sharif’s refusal to hold elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, despite an order from the Supreme Court. The ECP suspended a notification regarding DROs, ROs, and ARO appointments, raising concerns about potential delays in the overdue election process. Chief Justice Qazi Faez Esa summoned the Election Commission to discuss the situation following the high court’s decision.
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