The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has set August 6 the date for the presidential elections and a letter has been sent to Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ibrahim in this regard.
The ECP implemented Article 41 for the first time in Pakistan which states that the process of electing a president must begin at least two months before the end of the incumbent’s term, and the elections to be conducted a month before.
According to the schedule‚ the candidates can file their nomination papers by July 24, scrutiny of the papers will be held on July 26 while the candidates will be able to withdraw their papers on July 29. The final list of the candidates will also be published on the same day.
Sources in the ECP confirmed that a schedule of the election had been received by the CEC for his approval.
The summary proposed that the presidential election be held on August 6 as President Asif Ali Zardari’s five-year constitutional term will end on September 9.
President Zardari will not contest the next presidential election according to his spokesman Farhatullah Babar.