Sikandar Sultan Raja sworn in as new CEC

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed on Monday administered oath to Sikandar Sultan Raja as the new CEC of the country. The former bureaucrat took oath of office at the Supreme Court (SC). President Arif Alvi on Friday formally appointed Raja as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) for five years.

A notification issued by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs said President Alvi made the appointments under Article 213 and 215 of the Constitution. After months of deadlock, the government and the opposition had agreed on Tuesday to appoint Raja against the key ECP post.

The post of the CEC had been lying vacant since the retirement of Justice (R) Sardar Raza on December 6, whereas the positions of the two ECP members had been lying vacant for a year now. The delay in the appointments against the key posts had left the ECP rudderless and stopped it from functioning.