Constitutional requirement: Balochistan LG system to be in place by January

Polling for second phase fixed for December 30; ECP unveils schedule

ISLAMABAD:

In a step that would make Balochistan first province after 2009 having a functional Local Government (LG) system, election authorities are all set to complete second phase of local polls by January 2 next year.

Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday issued schedule for the election of seats reserved for peasants and workers in the province.

According to the schedule, the members elected on general seats from each local council will be electing members of seats reserved for peasants and workers on December 31.

Under Balochistan’s local government laws, 5 per cent quota is reserved in every council for peasants and workers. There is separate 33 per cent quota of reserved seats for women and 5 per cent for minorities in the province. The members on these two categories of reserved seats were elected on May 29 this year, almost six months after the elections on general seats.

Election on peasants and workers seats suffered a long delay when the Balochistan assembly amended the laws earlier this year to create another category of “professionals and social workers”. It has slashed the quota for the peasants and workers from five per cent each to a combined five per cent for both.

This was challenged in the court and Balochistan High Court issued a stay order against the polls for these categories which were to be held on May 29. Elections for the rest of the reserved categories were held according to the schedule.

BHC earlier this month nullified the amended law and termed it against the constitution and removed the newly created category. Following this decision, the ECP has issued schedule of polls for peasants and workers seats.

Schedule for reserved seats

Nominations papers for these polls will be issued from November 28. December 31 has been decided as the polling day for these seats.

Results for these elections will be made public on January 2 next year.

Once all members for all the categories are elected, they will take oath in their first session and elect their chairman and vice chairman. Once this process completes, expectedly by mid of January, LG system in Balochistan will become functional.

There is no LG system in any of the four provinces of the country since the last one expired in 2009. The SC has been pressing the provinces hard to hold LG polls.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2014.