ECP asks winning candidates to submit election expenditure details

ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Saturday said it would not issue official notification of all those successful candidates who  failed to submit details of their election expenditure within due date.

According to an ECP official, the commission had fixed August 4 as the last date for submission of details of their election expenditures by the winning candidates.

He said under Section 93 (3) of Election Act 2017, every successful candidate had to submit election expenditure details within 10 days of the election with the Returning Officer concerned.

He said the Commission would issue official notifications of successful candidates in the General Election 2018 after receiving their expenses details.

However, notifications of those winning candidates, who failed to submit their expenses declarations, would be withheld.

After issuance of notifications, independent candidates would have three days to join any party, he added.

The strength of all political parties in the national and provincial assemblies will be determined after the inclusion of independent candidates, after which the ECP will issue notification of successful candidates for the reserved seats.

It is the constitutional obligation that the session of new National Assembly should be convened within 21 days after the elections so that the election of new prime minister, speaker and deputy speaker might be carried out.

The candidates, who have won the election from more than one constituency, must retain only one seat by leaving remaining ones within three days of the notification.

Meanwhile, the ECP has directed all the political parties to submit consolidated statements of accounts duly audited by Chartered Accountant for financial year of 2017-18 by August 29. The political parties, in terms of Section 210 of the Election Act-2017, were required to provide account of annual income, expensive, source of its funds and assets and liabilities, it said.

The statement of accounts can be submitted on the Form-D prescribed by the Election Act, 2017. The printed forms are available at the Election Commission Secretariat and in the offices of the provincial election commissioners.

Prescribed forms can also be downloaded from the ECP''s website.

The Commission said that statement would be delivered to the ECP Secretary in its Secretariat through an office- bearer of the party, duly authorized by the party leader.

As per prevision of rule 156 of the Election Rules, 2017 the statement received through post, fax, courier service or any other mode would not be entertained.