ECP to hold Punjab local government polls in December
A security guard standing outside Election Commission of Pakistan in Islamabad on September 21, 2023. Photo: AFP
The Election Commission of Pakistan has decided to hold local government elections in Punjab during the last week of December this year, following a hearing into delays in organising the polls. The decision was taken by a four-member bench chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said the elections will be conducted under the Local Government Act 2022. The commission has ordered the delimitation of constituencies to be completed within two months, with work already underway.
During the hearing, ECP officials said efforts had been made to hold local elections in Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and cantonment boards, but provincial governments, particularly Punjab, caused delays and obstacles.
The Punjab government has amended the local government law several times during this period, further delaying elections despite repeated delimitation exercises and announcements by the ECP. The term of Punjab’s local bodies expired on December 31, 2021, and no elections have been held for over three years.
Officials also clarified that there are no legal barriers to holding elections under the 2022 Local Government Act. If electronic voting machines (EVMs) are unavailable, ballot papers can be used.
Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja criticised the delay of three years and nine months as a disgrace to both the ECP and the governments involved. He emphasised the commission’s constitutional duty to ensure elections are held, adding that if a government does not wish to hold local elections, it should amend the constitution accordingly.
The Punjab government explained that floods and assembly sessions had delayed approval of the new local government law but assured the commission that the bill would be presented in the next assembly session.
The ECP’s decision is expected to be announced imminently, after which delimitation will begin immediately.
The Lahore High Court will hear a related petition by Jamaat-e-Islami on October 14, to which the ECP must respond.