Meanwhile, the KP government assured the commission of its full cooperation in organizing the elections.
ISLAMABAD:
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has formally started consultations with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to determine the date of local government elections in 23 districts, with both sides agreeing to hold another round of talks within 15 days before finalizing the election schedule.
The development came at a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja at the ECP Secretariat on Tuesday, where the commission said delimitation in all 23 wards had been completed and it was fully prepared to conduct the elections.
Meanwhile, the KP government assured the commission of its full cooperation in organizing the elections.
The meeting was attended by members of the Election Commission, ECP Secretary, KP Chief Secretary, Provincial Local Government Secretary and senior ECP officials.
The mandate of local governments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa expired on March 15 this year. According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act 2013, elected local representatives serve a four-year term.
According to a press release by the ECP, the chief election commissioner underlined the constitutional importance of local governments and said that holding of local body elections was mandatory under Article 140-A of the Constitution.
“According to Article 219(4) of the Electoral Act, 2017, the ECP is required to hold local government elections within 120 days of the expiration of the mandate of the local governments,” he said.
The commission was informed that the terms of local government institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had expired on March 14 and June 19, 2026, respectively.
The ECP told the meeting that the delimitation process in all the 23 districts of the province had been completed and it was “fully prepared” to hold the elections.
The commission also reiterated that consultation with the provincial government was a legal prerequisite before announcing the electoral calendar.
