Pakistan’s polls body defies president’s call for election date

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) has defied the president’s call for an election date, insisting that it is its jurisdiction to fix the date.

In a letter to President Arif Alvi, the ECP cited a recent amendment to the country’s Election Act by the outgoing government, empowering the commission to decide the election date.

The move came a day after the president invited Chief Election Commissioner Raja Sikandar Sultan for a meeting to fix the date for the general elections, which according to the constitution must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the lower house, or the National Assembly.

Alvi’s move came on the heels of the ECP’s announcement that the general elections would not be held before March next year.

According to the ECP, after the amendment, it “solely” rests with the electoral body to announce the date for general elections and the commission is no longer bound to consult with the president.

The ECP further said that fresh delimitations after approval of the new census results are a “constitutional requirement.”

Last week, the ECP had announced the schedule for the delimitation of constituencies, which will be completed on December 14.

After the completion of the exercise, the electoral body will require another 90 days to hold the general elections, meaning polls cannot be held before March next year.

The national vote was otherwise scheduled for November this year.

Earlier in the day, the ECP members met in the capital Islamabad, and decided that the chief election commissioner would not meet the president, according to ECP sources.