ECP Agrees in Principle to Punjab Local Government Elections from Dec 15 to Jan 15

ISLAMABAD: The Punjab government has proposed holding local government elections between December 15 and January 15, with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) agreeing in principle to conduct the polls during the proposed period.

According to a statement issued by the Election Commission, a meeting was held to discuss fixing the date for local government elections in Punjab. During the meeting, the provincial government proposed holding the elections between December 15 and January 15, and the ECP agreed in principle to conduct the polls during the proposed period.

The meeting also considered holding the local government elections in phases to ensure better security and administrative arrangements. The phased-election proposal was aimed at improving management of the electoral process and ensuring adequate security arrangements.

The Election Commission said that holding the elections during December and January would mean that students’ examinations would have been completed and fog would be less severe. Teaching staff would also be available to perform election duties during the proposed period.

The meeting was further informed that the delimitation process for local government elections in Punjab had been completed. The ECP directed the committee to prepare and submit a plan for conducting the elections in phases at the earliest.

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja appreciated the proposals presented during the meeting and termed the holding of local government elections a constitutional responsibility.

He said that under Article 140-A of the Constitution, holding local government elections was a constitutional requirement. He added that under the relevant law, the Election Commission was responsible for conducting the elections within 120 days after the expiry of the term of local governments.