ECP to decide on delimitations soon

'Federal electoral body to engage in further consultations to finalise boundaries of constituencies'

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in a meeting on Wednesday agreed to reach a decision with regard to the delimitation of constituencies soon.

According to sources, in a session, the legal team presented its proposals to the election commission.

After careful deliberations, the commission decided to engage in further consultations to finalise the boundaries of constituencies, sources added.

Members of the commission, including four provincial members, the election secretary, the special secretary and concerned authorities participated in the important meeting.

Delimitation of constituencies, following the approval of the digital population census, is constitutionally mandated for the next general elections. Experts estimate that the process will take approximately three months.

According to Article 51(3) of the 1973 Constitution, "the seats in the National Assembly shall be allocated to each province and the federal capital on the basis of population in accordance with the last preceding census officially published."

However, lawmakers have recently expressed concerns about potential delays in the general polls, particularly after the passage of legislation granting extraordinary powers to caretakers that extend beyond their normal duties.

The Council of Common Interests (CCI) ratified the 2023 census, making it highly likely that general elections will not take place this year due to the compulsory need for fresh delimitations.

The responsibility for conducting the polls has now been shifted to the ECP within the next three months by the previous coalition government.