Election Moon
- The election watchdog announces the schedule for the most populous province
- KP governor says the date will be set at the meeting with ECP next week
Election moon Pakistan’s Electoral Commission announced the timetable for the Punjab elections to be held on April 30, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa announced the meeting between the election observer and CP Governor Ghulam Ali to reach a consensus on the date of the election was a vain endeavor.
Ahead of next month’s Punjab elections, the Commission announced a plan to meet with the relevant authorities to finalize election moon preparations, including the availability of the necessary funds and security personnel.
Today (Thursday) the KPK also called representatives of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Finance to a briefing.
According to the CPC, the secretaries of the ministries concerned will make a detailed presentation to the Inspectorate. During the procedure, the Ministry of Finance is asked to provide funds for the conduct of the elections. Similarly, the Home Office is being asked to ensure military, rangers, and other law enforcement personnel are available for security purposes.
According to the Commission’s Media Coordination and Promotion Department, the Election Commission will also request the Interior Ministry to liaise with headquarters and the Defense Ministry to ensure the use of the army for the election moon.
ECP also summoned an official from the Directorate of Military Operations to a security briefing related to the March 10 (Friday) elections, it added.
On March 13, the incumbent CM Mohsin Naqvi was invited to the ECP Secretariat along with the Provincial Secretary and the Chief of Police to discuss the Punjab elections.
A senior ECP official stated that art. 220 provides that all executive authorities shall cooperate with the electoral commission in the fulfillment of their duties and responsibilities.
According to the timetable, candidates can submit their candidacy dossiers from March 12 to 14, the electoral commission will announce the list of candidates on March 15, and the examination of the candidate dossiers will last until March 22.
Punjab Election Calendar
According to the Electoral Commission, appeals against accepting or rejecting nominations will be filed by March 27, while the Court of Appeal will consider such appeals by April 3, and the revised list of candidates will be announced on April 4.
Similarly, the deadline for the withdrawal of nominations and the publication of the revised lists is April 5, while the election moon symbols will be published on April 6 and voting for the Punjab Assembly elections will take place on April 30.
The notice states that the electoral program also applies to seats reserved for women and non-Muslims in the Punjab Provincial Assembly and that the deadline for submitting separate priority lists for seats reserved for women and non-Muslims is expired before the return of officials was March 14
Additional Votes
The Electoral Commission also announced the timetable for the by-election moon in six National Assembly constituencies that became vacant because the PTI-ECP chairman failed to communicate within the prescribed 30-day period which seat he wished to retain.
In the meantime, the Voivode CP and the ECP team have not set a date for the general elections in the voivodeship. The ECP team reached the KP capital on Wednesday after receiving a letter from the voivode. However, the governor told the meeting that a final decision would be made during his visit to the ECP office in the federal capital, perhaps next week.
No date for KP polls
In a statement released after the meeting, the ECP said: “The Secretary of the Electoral Commission explained to the CP Governor Ghulam Ali that I am only here for the provincial assembly election date.”
Added that preparations for the “peaceful” election moon will be finalized in a meeting with the CCP interim government and law enforcement agencies.
ECP also expressed concern about the words of the Voivode KP. In a March 7 letter to the ECP, Ali advised ECP officials to be “well prepared” on all matters related to holding peaceful elections for provincial assemblies.
“The voivode has no other role in the election moon than to propose a date. Under the constitution, the ECP is responsible for conducting peaceful elections,” the sources said, adding that “law enforcement and the interim government will support the ECP [on law and order matters].”
Meanwhile, Ghulam Ali said that the deliberations on setting the date for the CP assembly election moon were in the final stages. In a statement released by the Governor’s House, Ali said the Supreme Court’s orders would be implemented.
The consultations have entered the final phase, but the final decision on the matter will be taken during the governors’ meeting at the ECP office in Islamabad, the statement said.