ECP issues schedule for elections on 16 KP Assembly seats

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ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday announced that elections for tribal district seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly will be held on July 2.

“In pursuance of the provisions of Section 57 of the Elections Act 2017 read with Section 102 thereof and clause (4) of Article 224 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan”, the ECP has called for elections in 16 constituencies in the tribal districts allocated to K-P as a result of the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) through the 31st Constitutional Amendment.

The seats include PK-100 to PK102 for Bajaur, PK-103 and PK-104 to Mohmand, PK-105 to PK-107 for Khyber, PK-108 and PK-109 to Kurram, PK-110 for Orakzai, PK-111 and PK-112 to North Waziristan, PK-113 and PK-114 for South Waziristan and PK-115 for Ex-Frontier Regions (FR).

The dates outlined by the ECP direct the returning officer to issue a public notice on May 7 while candidates will submit nomination papers from May 9 to May 11. The names of nominated candidates will be issued on May 12 and the scrutiny will begin on the same day and end on May 18.

The candidates will have until May 22 to file appeals against the RO’s decisions while the Appellate Tribunal will have until May 27 to decide appeals.

The last date for withdrawal of candidacy and publication of a revised list of candidates is May 29. On May 30, the contesting candidates will be allotted symbols.

The commission issued another notification under Article 218(3) of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan read with sub-section 4 of Section 5 and Section 181 of the Elections Act 2017.

The notification prevents government and relevant authority from issuing posting or transferring “any officer in the districts where the schedule for the election has been issued till the publication of names of returned candidates”.

It also bars government functionary or elected representative including a local government functionary from announcing development scheme for the constituencies “where the election is under process till July 2”.