ECP begins ballot paper delivery

260 million ballot papers printed despite various challenges

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has commenced the delivery of 260 million ballot papers across 859 National Assembly and provincial assembly constituencies nationwide as the general election nears, stated a spokesperson for the oversight body on Sunday.

Printing was finalized at three government presses, with some papers necessitating reprinting following court decisions on candidacy-related petitions.

This election cycle marks a substantial increase from 2018, with 2,170 tons of paper utilized for the printing process. The heightened number of printed ballot papers, totaling 260 million for the February 8 vote, reflects a 40 million increase from the previous election, indicative of the scale and significance of the upcoming electoral process.

“Despite limited time and challenges, the ECP fulfilled its responsibility, by completing the printing of ballot papers on time,” the spokesperson said. “The process of delivery of ballot papers has started all over the country and it will be completed by tomorrow (today),” the spokesperson added.

Read: Over 260 million ballot papers printed

The ECP has also established the Central Control and Monitoring Centre to address any complaints relating to the elections. Officials said that so far, the ECP had 221 complaints of various nature and 198 of them had been addressed.

“Whether it is a matter of violation of the election code of conduct or complaints related to civic content, the ECP staff are fully active on a daily basis from December 26 to redress the issues,” said an ECP official.

The ECP will relay the election results through the Election Management System (EMS). The official said that complaints about the EMS were also received from some returning officers (ROs), adding that their issues were being resolved.