ECP plans Punjab LG polls by Jan 15

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday agreed in principle to the Punjab government's proposal to hold long-delayed local government elections in the province between December 15, 2026 and January 15, 2027.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja at the ECP headquarters to discuss a date for the local government elections in the province.

A four-member Punjab cabinet committee, headed by Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq, attended the meeting. Mines and Minerals Minister Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani, Agriculture Minister Syed Muhammad Ashiq Hussain Shah and Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat were also part of the delegation, along with the Punjab chief secretary and local government special secretary.

ECP members, the ECP secretary and senior officials of the commission also participated in the meeting.

The commission was briefed that the delimitation process in Punjab had been completed.

Raja stressed that establishing local governments and holding elections was a constitutional requirement under Article 140-A of the Constitution. He said the ECP was bound under Section 219(4) of the Elections Act to hold local government elections within 120 days of the expiry of the term of local governments.

Under Section 219(3) of the Elections Act 2017 and Section 59 of the Punjab Local Government Act, consultation with the provincial government is required before announcing the election date.

The Punjab cabinet committee told the commission that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif was committed to holding local government elections and had authorised the committee to consult with the ECP on the matter.

Rafiq said the provincial government needed time to initiate the election process, arrange the required resources and ensure the availability of teaching staff, who are extensively used during elections.

He said December 15 to January 15 would be a more suitable period because school examinations would have been completed by then and the province would also avoid the fog-related difficulties expected during other periods.

The Punjab chief secretary told the meeting that the provincial government wanted the elections to be held in phases to ensure adequate security and better administrative arrangements.

The ECP agreed in principle to the proposed timeframe and asked the provincial government to submit a plan "as soon as possible" if it wanted the elections conducted in phases.

The commission said the proposals would help pave the way for fulfilling the constitutional responsibility of establishing elected local governments in the province.

Earlier, the Punjab cabinet had approved Rs12.52 billion for holding the local government elections. The cabinet, at its 36th meeting chaired by the chief minister, also approved the recruitment of 900 union council secretaries to facilitate the functioning of local bodies.

Punjab has not held local government elections since 2015. The last polls were conducted in phases between October and December that year under the Punjab Local Government Act 2013, while elected councils assumed office in 2017 after indirect elections for mayors and chairpersons.