General elections likely to be held in Feb 2024: ECP

Islamabad: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday decided to hold general elections in the second week of February 2024.

According to details, the election commission is likely to issue general elections schedule after December 2023.

As per ECP sources, "the election schedule will be released 54 days after the delimitation process is finished."

Additionally, the Pakistani Election Commission (ECP) started talking to the country's major political parties about the impending general elections.

The electoral watchdog has decided to consult leaders of major political parties to decide a roadmap for the upcoming elections in the country.

The letter states that topics such as constituency delineation, electoral roll updates, general election administration, and election scheduling will be discussed during meetings.

Earlier, the chief election commissioner (CEC) has decided against meeting the president, in response to a letter Dr Arif Alvi wrote to Sikandar Sultan Raja inviting him for consultation on a date for elections.

According to sources, this decision was made during a significant meeting of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to discuss the president's letter to the CEC.

In response to a request for a meeting on the day of the polls, the top election commissioner has issued his own letter to the president.

The letter states that under the Elections (Amendment) Act 2017, only the election commission is responsible for giving a date for polls.

A few adjustments were made to Section 57 of the Elections Act as a result of an amendment. The president was required to be consulted in the past before the election date was declared. However, the election commission is currently fully in charge of that duty.

The CEC also states in the letter that the president would have the authority to declare elections if the assembly were to be dissolved in accordance with Article 58(2)(b).

The constitutional allusions made in the president's letter, according to Raja, are irrelevant.