Election date

We may not have a caretaker government at the centre yet but, at least, now we know when the transition to a new democratic government will begin. In consultation with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the presidency announced that general elections would be held on May 11. The date is final and it is less than two months away. The ECP also announced a detailed schedule for the elections, which begins with the submission of nomination papers that starts from March 25 and will last till March 30, followed by the approval of the candidates, with the final list being decided by April 19. After that, official campaigning can begin in earnest for what will be a historic election which promises Pakistan’s first ever peaceful and democratic transfer of power.

This will be the first time in recent history that elections will be held in the summer heat. Though that will be an inconvenience, it is expected that not only dedicated party workers but also the nation in general, will still turn out to cast its vote in a show of support for democracy and a peaceful transition of power. We are all now familiar with the PTI and the garmi main kharab phenomenon but the party is known for the passion it inspires among its youthful supporters, who will surely turn out at the polls to give Imran Khan’s party its strongest showing yet.



The announcement of a firm date for elections should also soothe the jagged nerves of those who are finding it hard to fathom that we will actually hold elections on time and in as democratic a way as possible. All the stakeholders, from the political parties to the ECP and the Supreme Court, have never wavered in their conviction that elections must be held. In the weeks leading up to the announcement of the election date, the military, too, had said publicly that it was very much in favour of the elections being held on time. We still don’t know who will emerge the victor, although the PML-N seems to be the favourite, according to most opinion polls, to win the most National Assembly seats, but we can be confident that we will get to cast our ballots on May 11.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22^nd, 2013.