The Election Commission of Pakistan has announced the election schedule for two Senate seats vacated by PPP leader Lashkari Raisani and JUI-F’s Mohammad Khan Sherani.
The election will be held at the Balochistan Assembly building on July 18.
Meanwhile, sources in the ECP said by-elections for 16 National Assembly seats and 25 provincial assembly seats are likely to be held on August 22 for which the ECP will announce schedule on June 25.
Of the 16 NA seats, 12 were vacated by various politicians after winning the May 11 elections in more than one constituency, while the other four seats are still vacant because elections were not conducted there for various reasons.
In Punjab, five NA seats were vacated by the PML-N and one by the PTI, that of Chairman Imran Khan from NA 71 Mianwali. While, after winning two seats, PTI President Javed Hashmi preferred his home constituency over NA-48, Islamabad. Three NA seats were vacated in Sindh, five seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one in Balochistan.
In KP, the PTI chief vacated Peshawar’s seat, KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak vacated NA-5, and PTI’s Asad Qaisar vacated NA-13.
Source in the ECP said the nomination papers for by-elections can be submitted from July 26 to August 1. The ECP will then complete the scrutiny in one week. And after completing the due process, the ECP will then conduct elections on August 22, the sources added.
According to an ECP notification about the Senate elections, the candidates can submit their nomination papers on June 27 and 28 while the commission will complete the process of scrutiny on July 1 and 2.
The last date for filing appeals against the rejection or acceptance of nomination papers is July 4, while appeals will be disposed of on July 6.
The candidates will be allowed to withdraw their candidature on July 8.
The ECP will display the final list of candidates on June 9 and the elections will be on July 18.
The commission has also appointed eth Balochistan election commissioner as the returning officer for the election.