The Election Commission has announced that local government elections in Islamabad will be held on February 15. Nomination papers will be filed from December 22 to 27, the Election Commission announced.
Verification of nomination documents of candidates will be carried out from December 30 to January 3, the Election Commission added. The electoral symbols will be delivered to the candidates on January 16.
Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Irfan Nawaz Memon will serve as District Returning Officer for the local government elections. Local government elections will be held in 125 union councils of Islamabad.
The survey will be carried out in accordance with the Local Government Act 2015.
The federal capital has not had an elected mayor since February 2021. Since Islamabad was established as the national capital in 1967, only two elected mayors have served in the city, serving between 2015 and 2021. After the last term of the local government (LG) in the Islamabad Capital Territory concluded on February 14, 2021, elections have been repeatedly postponed under various pretexts.
Read: ECP to hold local elections in Islamabad
The Election Commission of Pakistan announced that local government elections will be held in Islamabad on November 18, issuing a long-awaited decision on delaying elections in the federal capital. The ECP issued its reserved verdict on the matter on Monday, ruling that the recent amendments to the Islamabad Local Government Act, 2015 were inconsistent with the Constitution and the law.
In its written order, the ECP had said that the Secretary of the Local Government Department could not conduct elections for women and other reserved seats, pointing out that the appointment of district returning officers (DROs), returning officers (ROs) and other election officials was the sole authority of the commission.
Local governments in Islamabad are governed by the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act, 2015. Section 29 of this Act stipulates that the tenure of a local government covers five years from the date of its inaugural meeting.
Read more: IHC criticizes delay in LG elections in Islamabad
The Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad (MCI) held its first meeting on February 15, 2016, when Sheikh Anser Aziz was elected mayor. He served until his resignation in 2020, after which Adil Gillani was elected to complete the LG’s remaining term. The mandate of this local government ended on February 14, 2021.
Under Section 219(4) of the Electoral Act 2017, the ECP must hold new local government elections within 120 days of the expiry of a mandate, meaning the election should have been held in June 2021. However, more than four and a half years later, the capital continues to function without elected local representation.
