Electoral commission announces February 14 elections for union and district councils; assembly elections scheduled for January 24
Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission. Photo: ecgb.gov.pk/
Elected local bodies will return to Gilgit-Baltistan after 21 years. The region’s electoral commission has announced that the local government elections will be held on February 14, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan issued a notification on Monday, confirming that the elections will cover various local levels, including union councils, district councils and municipal corporations.
The process will follow the Election Act 2017 and the Gilgit-Baltistan Local Government Act 2014. Filings of nomination papers will open from December 22 and will last until December 26. The final list of candidates will be published on January 15, 2026, after the scrutiny and appeal process.
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Khan emphasized the institutional commitment to justice and stated that “the transparent electoral process is considered the key instrument of democracy.” He added that his vision is to make the Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission more energetic and fulfill its constitutional mandate by organizing and conducting elections honestly.
Senior judicial officials have been appointed as district returning officers in all the ten districts to ensure smooth conduct of the elections.
The elections are seen as a crucial step towards rejuvenating grassroots democracy and local decision-making power, which critics consistently argued had been weakened since the last local elections in 2004.
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Separately, the Election Commission confirmed that the general elections for the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly are scheduled to be held on January 24, 2026. To prepare for this, the election commission has called an All-Party Conference (APC) on December 18 at 11:00 am.
The Chief Election Commissioner emphasized that the objective of the APC is to understand the opinions, suggestions and inputs of all political parties. He hopes that the consultation will guarantee that the electoral process is “clean, transparent, fair and in accordance with democratic principles.”
