ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced that it will complete the delimitation process by November 30, aiming to ensure the holding of early elections. The decision follows a series of consultations with political parties to streamline the electoral timeline.
In a statement, the electoral body emphasized that the shortened timeline for delimitation is intended to ensure that elections are conducted as soon as possible. The ECP further disclosed that it would announce the election date, taking into account the delimitation schedule, a decision that was made in consultation with political parties.
Just a day earlier, the Election Commission had stated that elections would be held no later than mid-February, or even by the end of January, if the delimitation of constituencies could be completed earlier.
The ECP has actively engaged with various political parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Muttahida Qoumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), and Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), among others, to prepare a roadmap for the upcoming general elections.
During these consultations, the JUI-F, PML-N, and MQM-P expressed their support for holding general elections following the delimitation process, while the PTI and PPP urged the electoral watchdog to skip the process and conduct polls within 90 days.
ECP Announces Schedule for Delimitations
On August 17, the ECP had initially announced the schedule for new delimitations, adhering to the recently approved census results by the Council of Common Interest (CCI). The new delimitation of constituencies was initially projected to conclude in December. However, the ECP has now accelerated the timeline, aiming to complete it by November.
In the previous month, the CCI, presided over by then-Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, gave its approval to the final results of the 7th Population and Housing Census 2023, revealing Pakistan’s population at 241.49 million with a growth rate of 2.55%. This approval mandated the ECP, as per the constitution, to hold elections based on fresh delimitations in alignment with the census results.
As per Article 51 (5) of the Constitution, seats in the National Assembly allocated to each province and the federal capital must be determined based on population, using the last preceding officially published census data.
The previous Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government had dissolved the national and provincial assemblies of Sindh and Balochistan ahead of schedule, allowing the ECP to conduct elections within 90 days instead of the standard 60 days if the legislature had completed its constitutional tenure.
