- Law minister confirms that upcoming elections are scheduled for January-February 2024.
- He assures that the provinces’ representation in the general seats of the NA will remain unchanged in next elections.
- Minister emphasizes that ECP is obligated to finish the delimitation process within 120 days.
Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has recently disclosed that conducting elections based on the 2023 digital census will take more than five months. The decision was taken during a meeting of the Council of Common Interest (CCI) headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, wherein it was unanimously agreed to hold the upcoming general election in accordance with the results of the 2023 census. As per Article 51 of the Constitution, the elections for the national and provincial assemblies in 2023 will be conducted based on the limits of the constituencies published by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is expected to complete the delimitation process within an outer limit of 120 days, though the actual start time is at the discretion of the ECP. The census results indicate that the provinces’ share in the general seats of the National Assembly will remain unchanged in the next elections. However, the law minister emphasized that effective work can reduce the 120-day limit, and an additional 54 days are needed for the general elections. Therefore, the entire process is projected to last between 150 to 165 days.
During the CCI meeting, which was attended by PM Shehbaz Sharif, all four chief ministers, and other members, the 2023 census was “unanimously” approved. The meeting was briefed on the digital census, and the population was reported to have reached 240.10 million.
Despite the PPP expressing reservations over the census, the CCI approved the latest digital census. It’s worth noting that the general elections are likely to be delayed by a few months, as the ECP requires additional time to conduct the delimitation exercise based on the new data from the census. The current ruling coalition has agreed to dissolve the National Assembly prematurely on August 9, providing the electoral body with 90 days to conduct the polls.
The MQM-P and PPP, the main coalition partners of PM Shehbaz Sharif, had differing views on the census issue. The PPP insisted on conducting polls based on the 2017 census, while the MQM-P stressed that elections using the previous enumeration would not be acceptable.
Responding to concerns about delaying the elections, PML-N leader Talal Chaudhry asserted that ensuring acceptable election results to all parties is more important than adhering strictly to the original timeline.
Read more: Will 2023 Elections Be Delayed? CCI Holds Crucial Meeting to Decide Census
Former ECP secretary Kanwar Dilshad highlighted that if the CCI approves the census 2023 and issues a gazette notification, the ECP is legally bound to conduct fresh delimitation under Article 51(5) of the Constitution, which will consequently push the elections to 2024.
The approval of the 2023 census results sets the timeline for the upcoming general elections in Pakistan. However, the process will require the Election Commission of Pakistan to conduct the delimitation exercise afresh based on the new data, which may lead to a delay in the elections. Nonetheless, all efforts will be made to complete the necessary processes within a reasonable time frame to ensure a smooth transition of power.
