President to be elected on 9th

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday issued the schedule for the presidential election fixing March 9 for the purpose.

According to the schedule, nomination papers for the presidential election can be submitted by 12 noon today (Saturday). Scrutiny of nomination papers would be completed by March 4, whereas nomination papers can be withdrawn on March 5. And, the final list of candidates will be published on March 6, while the polling for the presidential election will be held on March 9.

On September 8, 2023, Dr Arif Alvi became the fourth democratically elected president to complete a five-year term. However, in the absence of the electoral college required to elect the president, he is still in office. Now that the general elections have been held on February 8, and the members of the National Assembly have taken oath, the ECP has issued the schedule for the election of the president. The nomination papers of former president and Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians President Asif Ali Zardari for the presidential elections will be submitted today (Saturday). Former chairman Senate Senator Farooq H Naek obtained the nomination forms of Zardari on Friday. “We have obtained the nomination papers of former president Asif Ali Zardari for the presidential election and they will be submitted on Saturday,” Naek told The News on Friday. Zardari is a joint candidate of the PPP and the PMN for the post of president of Pakistan. The election is scheduled for March 9.

Under the law, the president is elected by members of the National Assembly, Senate and four provincial assemblies. According to Article 44(1) of the Constitution, “the president shall hold office for a period of five years from the day he takes charge of office, but he shall remain in office until his successor is elected”.

Dr Arif Alvi’s tenure has been mired in controversies, with critics accusing him of playing with the Constitution and turning the Presidency into an “ordinance factory” by promulgating scores of ordinances.

Meanwhile, the ECP also released the schedule for the elections for the six vacant seats of the Senate. According to the schedule, elections for the vacant seats will be held on March 14. Yousaf Raza Gilani, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Nisar Khuhro, Jam Mehtab, Prince Ahmed Omar and Sarfraz Bugti have vacated their seats in the Senate after winning the Feb 8 elections.

According to the ECP, nomination papers for the Senate seats can be submitted from March 2 to 3, after which the list of candidates will be displayed on March 3, while the scrutiny of nomination papers will be done on March 5. Likewise, appeals on nomination papers can be submitted till March 7 and tribunals will dispose of the appeals by March 9, and nomination papers can be withdrawn by March 10. The polling for the Senate seats would be held in the National Assembly for one seat, Sindh Assembly for two seats and Balochistan Assembly for three seats of the upper house of Parliament.

Meanwhile, Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) are inviting applications from individuals interested in securing party tickets for vacant seats in the Senate. The Secretary General of PPP Parliamentarians, Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, said that these vacancies have arisen due to Senate members being elected in various assemblies. The PPPP is seeking applications from potential candidates for these vacant Senate seats. Applications must be submitted by March 3. Interested individuals should address their applications to the president of the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians.

Applicants are required to attach a bank draft of Rs100,000 made out to the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians along with their applications. Applications should be sent to either Bilawal House, Karachi, or Zardari House, Islamabad, located at House No. 8, Street 19, F-8/2, Islamabad, by March 3. By-elections for the six vacant Senate seats are scheduled for the 14th of this month. According to a notification from the Election Commission of Pakistan, candidates can file their nomination papers with the returning officer until Sunday evening.