The election schedule set by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is found to be in violation of rules and procedures defined in the Elections Act 2017, DawnNewsTV reported on Wednesday.

According to Section 57 (2)(i) of the Act, the election should take place at least 28 days after the issuance of the revised list of candidates contesting the polls.

However, the commission has set June 29 as the deadline for issuance of the final list, which according to the current schedule [having July 25 as polling day] means that the election will be held sooner than the required time — after a period of 26 days.

Moreover, the ECP has also missed the June 25 deadline to finalise the polling schemes for all the provinces, thereby violating Section 59 (6) of the Elections Act 2017, which stipulates that the commission must issue the schemes 30 days prior to the polling day.

As of today, the polling day is 28 days away, but the polling schemes are yet to be finalised.

The delay is due to the fact that the returning officers (ROs) in several districts have not yet filed their respective polling schemes, thereby impeding their finalisation and publication in a gazette notification and also on the ECP website.

Election schedule

Aside from polling day, the election schedule has the following remaining stages:

  • June 27: Final date for appeals against the acceptance or rejection of a candidate's nomination papers.

  • June 28: Deadline for the issuance of reviewed election candidate list.

  • June 29: Last day for an election candidate to withdraw from standing for elections.

  • June 29: Day scheduled for issuance of final election candidate list.

  • June 30: Candidates will be allotted election symbols.

  • July 25: Polling day.

As soon as July begins, the candidates will have 23 days to run their election campaigns; moreover, all campaign activities must be brought to a halt 48 hours prior to the polling day.

Opinion

Editorial

Military convictions
Updated 22 Dec, 2024

Military convictions

Pakistan’s democracy, still finding its feet, cannot afford such compromises on core democratic values.
Need for talks
22 Dec, 2024

Need for talks

FOR a long time now, the country has been in the grip of relentless political uncertainty, featuring the...
Vulnerable vaccinators
22 Dec, 2024

Vulnerable vaccinators

THE campaign to eradicate polio from Pakistan cannot succeed unless the safety of vaccinators and security personnel...
Strange claim
Updated 21 Dec, 2024

Strange claim

In all likelihood, Pakistan and US will continue to be ‘frenemies'.
Media strangulation
Updated 21 Dec, 2024

Media strangulation

Administration must decide whether it wishes to be remembered as an enabler or an executioner of press freedom.
Israeli rampage
21 Dec, 2024

Israeli rampage

ALONG with the genocide in Gaza, Israel has embarked on a regional rampage, attacking Arab and Muslim states with...