On Thursday, President Dr. Arif Alvi and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) agreed to hold general elections in Pakistan on February 8.
General Elections Date Has Been Finalized
The President’s House confirmed the news via a post on X (previously Twitter).
سپریم کورٹ آف پاکستان کے آج کے حکم پر چیف الیکشن کمشنر آف پاکستان سکندر سلطان راجہ کی اٹارنی جنرل برائے پاکستان منصور عثمان اعوان اور الیکشن کمیشن آف پاکستان کے چار ممبران کے ہمراہ ایوان صدر میں صدر مملکت ڈاکٹر عارف علوی سے ملاقات
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) November 2, 2023
Furthermore, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, Attorney General of Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan, and four members of the ECP met with President Arif Alvi at the President’s House on the direction of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
“In the meeting, the date for holding the next general elections in the country was discussed. […] After a detailed discussion, the meeting unanimously agreed to hold general elections in the country on February 8, 2024,” the statement read.
ECP Confirmation
In this context, the ECP has also released a statement.
#ECP pic.twitter.com/O2udfMSAjn
— Election Commission of Pakistan (OFFICIAL) (@ECP_Pakistan) November 2, 2023
Previous General Elections Announced Date
Earlier today, the ECP’s counsel informed the Supreme Court that elections will take place on February 11.
However, a three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and comprised of Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Athar Minallah, is hearing petitions filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SBCA) and others seeking directives to hold general elections within the 90-day period prescribed by the Constitution.
Sajeel Swati, attorney for the ECP, stated that the process of drafting constituencies would be concluded by January 29.
Furthermore, the CJP asked the ECP to talk with President Arif Alvi on the election date and to return to the bench on Friday with a final election date after consulting with the president.
During the previous hearing, the Supreme Court (SC) issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the federal government, requiring them to provide input on polls within 90 days.
Background
Moreover, the ECP had originally scheduled elections in Punjab for April 30, but then moved them to October 8 — in both Punjab and KPK.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) appealed the decision to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court (SC) ordered the government and the ECP on April 4 to hold elections for the Punjab assembly on May 14, but both institutions stated that this would be impossible due to a lack of resources, including funds and manpower.
ECP Previous Statements
The ECP announced on September 21 that general elections will be held in the last week of January 2024. It did not, however, provide a specific date.
The preliminary constituency lists were also released by the commission.
Objections to the preliminary constituency lists will be accepted until October 26, with hearings on these objections scheduled until November 25.
The final electoral rolls are expected to be released by November 30, and the election commission will outline the election schedule within 54 days of this publication.
To read our blog on “General Elections will be held on 11th Feb 2024, ECP told SC,” click here.
