PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Election Commission received an overwhelming response from the candidates on the initial day of receipt of the nomination papers for reserved seats of women and minorities in the National and Provincial assemblies.
According to a Provincial Election Commission spokesperson, a total of 224 nomination papers were received for the women-reserved seats and 92 nomination papers for minority seats.
The acceptance of nomination papers for both national and provincial assembly constituencies will persist until December 22. Candidates, along with their authorized representatives, are encouraged to acquire and submit their nomination papers at the offices of the respective returning officers (ROs).
Previously, candidates from various districts had to submit their nomination papers in Peshawar. However, the Election Commissioner of Pakistan has now empowered the ROs to issue and receive nomination papers within their respective districts.
The spokesperson mentioned that the preliminary list of candidates will be unveiled on December 23, and the scrutiny of nomination papers is scheduled to take place from December 24 to 30. Following the timeline, electoral symbols will be allocated to candidates on January 13, and the general elections are set to be conducted on February 8.
To qualify as a candidate, one must be a citizen of Pakistan and not younger than 25 years. Contestants for National Assembly seats must also be registered voters in any location within Pakistan. —APP
