ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has fixed June 15 for elections to the top slots of local governments in Sindh, including the mayor and deputy mayor of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.
According to the election schedule for the final phase of local government elections in the province, the respective electoral colleges, besides Karachi’s mayor and deputy mayor, will be able to elect chairmen and vice chairmen of municipal corporations, town municipal corporations, municipal committees, town committees and district councils.
The development comes a couple of days following the adoption of a Sindh Assembly resolution urging the Election Commission to complete the process for elections of mayor, deputy mayor, chairmen and vice chairmen across the province before the end of the current financial year.
Moved by Ghanwar Khan Isran of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the resolution expressed concern over the delay in completing the entire process of local government elections, including the oath-taking of members and the election of mayors, deputy mayors, chairmen and vice chairmen in the respective councils.
The resolution emphasised the need to complete the electoral process before the end of the first week of June, so that the elected councils could prepare and pass their respective budgets.
According to the schedule, nomination papers will be submitted by candidates on June 9 and 10, while the scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted on June 11. The candidates will have the option to withdraw their papers until June 14, a day before the polling is set to occur.
On June 15, voting will commence at 8am and continue until 5pm.The elected representatives will take the oath on June 19. With a view to ensuring that elections to the local governments are conducted honestly, justly and fairly in accordance with law and corrupt practices are guarded against, the ECP has barred all executive authorities in the federation and in the province from announcing any development project and using state resources in the elections.
The code of conduct, issued by the electoral body, emphasizes, “If any person in the government service misuses his official position in any manner in order to influence results of the elections, he shall be liable to be proceeded against under the law.” It further says: “For divisions in respect of which election schedule of local government elections has been issued, no transfers/ postings of the government officers and officials including those of autonomous bodies/authorities shall be made without prior approval of the Commission till the publication of election results.
“For divisions in respect of which election schedule has been issued, no leave of the government officers and officials including autonomous bodies/authorities will be granted after the issuance of election schedule of the Local Government Elections without prior approval of the Commission till the publication of election results. In case leave has already been sanctioned, the officer will not relinquish his charge without approval of the Commission.”