ECP Deadline; allot election symbols to political parties ends
Special parliamentary body finalises proposed election reforms
Islamabad_The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would hold elections by Oct 11 if assemblies were dissolved on Aug 12, said ECP Secretary Umar Hameed on Thursday.
Speaking to the media, Hameed said the ECP would keep in touch with the media before general elections, adding that the ECP had placed 60 recommendations before the electoral reforms committee. “All our recommendations have been approved,” he added.
He went on to say that it would be implausible to comment before the electoral watchdog’s recommendations were formally approved, adding that the ECP was ready to hold general elections. “The ECP will take four months for demarcation if new census is approved,” he added.
While,
The deadline for allotting election symbols to political parties by the Election Commission of Pakistan has ended. The Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party has submitted an application for the ‘eagle’ as its election symbol. So far, 131 political parties have submitted applications to the election commission, as per sources.
The Jamaat-e-Islami has submitted an application for the ‘scales’, while the PML-N has applied for ‘lion’. The parties were given time till July 19 to submit applications for election symbols. The People’s Party has applied for the ‘sword’ as its election symbol, while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf aims to contest polls on the ‘bat’ symbol. Moreover, the ANP has applied for the ‘lantern’ and the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarian has submitted an application to the Election Commission of Pakistan for the ‘arrow’ as its election symbol.
Earlier,
The special committee of parliament set up for suggesting election reforms has given final shape to the proposed amendments. Delimitation of constituencies will be conducted on the basis of equal number of registered voters. According to a proposed amendment, complaints against the delimitation of constituencies can be filed within 30 days.
Furthermore, the process of delimitation of constituencies will be completed four months before the announcement of the election schedule. The election commission will publish the details of polling staff on its website. The staff will not perform duty in their tehsil during the elections. The proposed amendments say that the secrecy of ballot will be ensured regarding installation of cameras in polling stations.
If a nomination is rejected or withdrawn, the candidate will be refunded his/her fee. A candidate can object to the establishment of a polling station on solid grounds. It has also been proposed to give the mandate to the election commission for allowing voting facility to overseas Pakistanis. Political parties will provide the final priority list within three days of the issuance of final results, as per a proposed amendment. The proposed amendments will have to be approved by the National Assembly and the Senate.
ECC meeting
Meanwhile, a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet, chaired by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, has been scheduled for today. Funds of more than Rs42.5 billion proposed by the election commission are likely to be approved for the general elections.
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