ECP directs political parties to submit list of nominations for reserved seats

Parties asked to submit papers for women, non-Muslim candidates for reserved seats by June 6

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has directed political parties intending to contest general elections 2018 to submit a list of nominated candidates in order of priority for the reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies by June 6.

In a statement issued on Friday, the commission called for submission of candidate forms for the seats reserved seats for women and non-Muslims latest by June 6.

The list for National Assembly has to be sent to the ECP, additional director general (elections), Returning Officer (RO) while the papers for provincial assemblies have to be submitted to concerned provincial election commissioners, said the press release.



On Thursday, ECP issued a draft of the code of conduct for the upcoming polls warning that use of abusive language against opponents during campaigning would be considered a corrupt practice.

The six-category code, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, outlines rules and regulations political parties, candidates and election agents have to adhere with during the elections. The categories are general conduct, campaign, publicity, meetings and processions, polling day, and miscellaneous.

General conduct

Political parties and candidates have been asked to refrain from propagating opinions contrary to the Constitution and the Ideology of Pakistan. They have also been told to uphold the rights and freedom of the people of Pakistan. Failure to abide by the code of conduct and maligning the electoral body in any form whatsoever would entail contempt, according to the rules drafted by the commission.

Campaign

Political parties have been advised to refrain from influencing print or the electronic media or resorting to violence of any kind against news outlets.

Publicity

The code of conduct proposed for the general elections has banned political parties from using funds from the public exchequer to run political campaigns in the print or electronic media.

Meetings and processions

Political parties and candidates have been told to inform district authorities about any planned processions or rallies. The ECP has also asked authorities to ensure this does not impact smooth flow of traffic.'

Polling day

“On Polling Day, there shall be a complete ban on all kinds of campaign, canvassing, persuading of voters for vote, soliciting of vote and not to vote in the election or canvassing for a particular candidate within the radius of 400 meters of a polling station. Violation will be treated as an illegal practice,” reads a rule.