Provinces hesitant to conduct elections: CEC
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In Islamabad, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) stated that the provinces are hesitant to carry out general elections. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) released an official statement following separate meetings with Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q). During the interaction, the TLP representative informed the ECP that the government expanded the number of Union Councils (UCs) from 50 to 125 in the Islamabad Local Government (LG) polls to avoid conducting them.
Additionally, the TLP requested the ECP to organize elections within 90 days. If the delimitation process can't be completed in that time frame, the TLP suggested increasing the number of staff. The CEC emphasized that the ECP is obligated to hold LG polls following provincial LG laws. He also mentioned that the ECP will oversee the financing and expenditures of election campaigns.
The consultative committee of the PML-Q supported the ECP's choice to conduct general elections based on the 2023 census. The ECP indicated that the election timetable will be disclosed shortly after the delimitation process concludes, and the upcoming elections will adhere to the constitution.
