ECP to give election schedule soon after interim setup comes in place

Islamabad: The election schedule or programme will span at least forty-five days, requiring the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hurry up to hold the grand electoral exercise on time as the next caretaker government will come in place.

The interim setup will have just sixty days’ life as per the Constitution which disallowed its extension under any circumstances. Immediately after it will take charge, the ECP will come out with the election programme so that the polls are held before the expiry of the short lifespan of the stopgap government.

Considering the elaborate preparations of the ECP going on in top gear for many months, it is expected to unveil the election schedule within a couple of weeks of the assumption of office by the caretaker arrangement. Even before the formation of the interim government, the ECP will most likely finalise all the phases of the upcoming elections.

The countdown for the elections will quickly start as the caretaker setup will be formed to take office on June 1. May 31 will be the last day of the present government. Before that, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and leader of opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah will engage in consultations to pick up the premier. If they failed to arrive at a consensus, the bipartisan parliamentary committee will come into action. If it was also unable to reach an accord, the ECP will select the interim prime minister from amongst the nominees sent by the two main consultees.

For the 2013 parliamentary elections, all the stages of poll schedule unfolded by the ECP had run over forty-eight days. At the time, it had announced the election programme on March 24 for the May 11 polling that year.

Under the Elections Act, within seven days of the announcement of the polling date or dates, the ECP will call upon the voters of the notified assembly’s constituencies to elect their representatives in accordance with an election programme.

The schedule will stipulate the last date for making nominations, which will be the sixth day after the date of publication of this notification or, if that day is a public holiday, the next succeeding day which is not a public holiday.

The programme will provide for the last date for publication of names of the nominated candidates, which will be day following the last date of filing of nomination papers.

It will specify the last date for the scrutiny of nominations, which will be the eighth day immediately following the last date for making nominations. The schedule will stipulate the last date for filing of appeals against acceptance or rejection of nominations, which will be the fourth day following the last date for the scrutiny of nominations.

The programme will fix the last date for decision of appeals, which will be the seventh day following the last date for filing of appeals. The schedule will stipulate the last date for publication of the revised list of candidates, which will be the day following the last date for decision of appeals.

It will specify the last date for the withdrawal of candidature, which will be the day following the last date of publication of revised list of candidates. The progamme will fix the date for allocation of symbols to contesting candidates and publication of their list, which will be the day following the last date for withdrawal of candidature.

The schedule will spell out the date or dates on which a poll will, if necessary, be taken, which or the first of which will be a date not earlier than the twenty eighth day after the publication of the revised list of candidates.

A Returning Officer (RO) will give public notice of the dates specified by the ECP in respect of the constituency or constituencies of which he is the RO; and will publish the public notice at some prominent place or places within the constituency to which it relates. He will invite nominations specifying the time by which and the place at which candidacy papers shall be received by him.

According to the Elections Act, the ECP may make such alterations in the poll programme announced for the different stages of election or may issue a fresh schedule as may, in its opinion to be recorded in writing, be necessary. However, it will inform the President about any alteration in the programme.