The Pakistan Electoral Commission (ECP) issued on Friday the long-awaited schedule for the Senate elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab, establishing on July 21 as the voting date for several seats that have remained vacant due to delays derived from an incomplete electoral university.
According to an official notification, surveys for seven general seats, two seats reserved for women and two for KP technocrats and ulema will be held on July 21 at the Provincial Assembly building in Peshawar.
The elections had previously been scheduled for April 2, 2024, but they postponed after the speaker of the KP Assembly refused to administer oaths to the members chosen in reserved seats. The dead point left the Electoral College incomplete, which caused the ECP to delay surveys.
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In addition, the Commission has also announced the electoral program for the Senate’s seat unemployed by Dr. Sania Nishtar. On July 9, a public notice will be issued, while the nomination documents can be presented on July 10 and 11. The scrutiny of the documents will be carried out on July 16, and the surveys have been scheduled for July 31.
Meanwhile, the ECP has also resumed the electoral process for the seat of the Senate that was vacant after the disappearance of Senator Sajid Mir. These elections were delayed similarly due to the incomplete composition of the Electoral College.
According to the revised schedule, the return officer will publish an updated list of candidates on July 15, with the deadline to withdraw the nomination documents established for July 16. The surveys will take place on July 21, at the Punjab Assembly building in Lahore.
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Separately, the ECP also issued a schedule for the choice of two vacancies reserved for women in the National Assembly of KP, previously held by the Pakistan-Nawaz Muslim League (PML-N).
The officer who returns will issue a public notice on July 8, with nomination documents that will be presented on July 9 and 10. The scrutiny will take place on July 14, and the final list of candidates will be published on July 24.
The Commission pointed out that the list of previous priorities of the PML-N for the reserved seats of women had been exhausted, and the part has been aimed at presenting a new list to the officer that returns before July 10.
To facilitate the completion of the Electoral College before the Senate elections, the ECP has written to the speakers of the National Assembly and the corresponding provincial assemblies, requesting them to administer oaths to the newly notified members chosen in reserved seats.
