ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – The general election in Pakistan, scheduled for later this year, will be conducted using a new census, according to the country’s law minister. This could potentially delay the election by several months. Azam Nazeer Tarar stated in an interview with Geo News TV that it would take approximately four months to complete the census and redraw constituency boundaries.
The decision to hold the elections using the new census was reached during a meeting of the Council of Common Interest (CCI), which included representatives from both the federal and provincial governments. Tarar emphasized that this consensus decision was made in order to ensure accurate and up-to-date voter representation.
The 7th census in Pakistan has already been completed, with a headcount yielding a population of 241.49 million, as announced by the Prime Minister’s office. However, the new constituency boundaries necessitated by the census will require an additional four months for completion, the law minister explained. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will determine the exact timeframe needed for constituency delimitation.
Kunwar Dilshad, a former official of the ECP, speculates that this means the elections, originally due by November at the latest, could be delayed by several months. He asserts that it is impossible to complete the delimitation process and hold the elections within the constitutionally mandated deadline.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has proposed the dissolution of parliament on August 9, three days prior to the end of its term. This subsequently grants the election commission 90 days to organize the election, rather than the usual 60 days if parliament were to be dissolved on the completion of its full five-year term.
Reporting by Asif Shahzad; Editing by Angus MacSwan
Credit: The Star : News Feed
