ECP reopens voter lists for updates

Poll supervisor’s move aimed at letting eligible individuals to register, transfer or rectify their data

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) took a significant step on Thursday by reopening voter lists nationwide until October 25. This decision allows eligible individuals to register, transfer, or rectify their voting information during this period.

The ECP made this announcement via a press release, which was also shared on social media. The release explained that the voter lists had been frozen on July 20, 2023, in accordance with Section 39 of the Elections Act, 2017. However, recognizing the need for public convenience, the ECP decided to unfreeze the lists immediately, extending this opportunity until October 25, 2023.

Eligible citizens were encouraged to verify the accuracy of their voter registration details, transfers, exits, and national identity card information within the specified timeframe.

This development followed the ECP's release of preliminary constituency lists, which was accomplished 15 days ahead of the deadline. These lists included changes to the boundaries of constituencies for both the national and provincial assemblies.

According to the new constituency list, the National Assembly's size has decreased by six seats to a total of 336. This reduction came as a result of adjustments to the representation of newly merged districts in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which decreased from 12 to six seats based on the 2023 census.

The lower house of parliament will have 266 general seats, with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's strength reduced to 45 from 51 in 2018. The merger of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in 2018 initially allocated 12 National Assembly seats to the newly merged districts, which has now been halved to six.

In addition, there are 60 seats reserved for women and 10 seats allocated for non-Muslims in the National Assembly. The report revealed that Punjab will have the highest number of seats in the lower house of parliament, followed by Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Islamabad. Punjab will have 141 National Assembly seats, Sindh 51, Balochistan 16, and Islamabad three.

The ECP also provided details about provincial assembly constituencies, specifying that the Punjab Assembly would have 297 seats, the Sindh Assembly 130 seats, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly 115 seats, and the Balochistan Assembly 51 seats.

Furthermore, the ECP announced that for the convenience of the public, facilitation and objections receiving desks at its secretariat in Islamabad would remain operational on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The government has declared Friday as a public holiday for Eid Milad-un-Nabi (12th Rabiul Awwal).