ECP releases final electoral rolls

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday released the final electoral rolls (FERs), showing a total of 105.955 million registered voters (with 23 per cent increase), of which 55.9 per cent males and 44.1 per cent females.

The total registered voters indicate gender gap between males and females recorded at around 12.5 million as 59.22 million voters are males while 46.73 million females. Hence, the total number of voters reflects an increase of about 23 per cent, as compared to eligible voters (86.198 million) at the time of 2013 elections. Of these, 48 million were male and about 37 million female voters.

Well over half of 105.955 million voters, Punjab, with 60.67 million voters, is on the top among the federating units with 33.68 million males and 26.99 million females, followed by Sindh with 22.39 million voters with 12.44 million males and 9.95 million females.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the third largest province has now 15.32million registered voters, including 8.71million males and 6.61million females, whereas Balochistan has a total of over 4.299 million registered voters, of these 2.486 million are males and 1.813million females.

In the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), 2.51million voters would be able to exercise their right of voting and of these, 1.507 million are males and 1.022 million female voters while 0.77million are registered with the Election Commission from the Islamabad Capital Territory (Federal Capital). The Federal Area has 0.407 million male and 0.357 female voters.

The FERs are released at a time when the Election Commission awaits fixing of the conduct of elections date by the President and the naming of the caretaker government as the incumbent bows out on May 31, completing its five-year term.

Till the filing of this report, the prime minister and leader of opposition in the National Assembly could not reach consensus on a caretaker prime minister, the Election commission proposed July 25-27 as possible dates for the upcoming elections and forwarded a summary in this regard to President Mamnoon Hussain, requesting him to fix one of the proposed dates as the polling day under the Elections Act, 2017, Section 57(1).