Pakistan General Election: President Alvi Proposes November 6 As Cut-Off Date

Pakistan President Arif Alvi has proposed November 6 as the cut-off date to conduct the general election in the country.

ISLAMABAD: After days of speculation and confusion since the dissolution of the National Assembly, Pakistan President Ariv Alvi has written to the Election Commission proposing that the general election in the country should be held no later than November 6 which marks the 89th day since the dissolution.

Alvi said this to the poll panel as he cited Article 48(5) of the Constitution he said mandated him to set the date for the elections not later than 90 days from the date of the dissolution.

The letter read, "Article 48(5) of the Constitution empowers and mandates the President “to appoint a date not later than ninety days from the date of the dissolution, for the holding of a general election to the Assembly”.

"In terms of Article 48(5) the general election to the National Assembly should be held by the eighty-ninth day of the date of dissolution of the National Assembly, i.e. Monday 6™ Day of November 2023," it added.

Alvi also wrote in his letter that, "In an endeavour to fulfil the constitutional obligations, the Chief Election Commissioner was invited for a meeting to devise the modalities of implementing the Constitutional intent and mandate who in reply took a contrary view that as per the scheme of the Constitution and framework of electoral laws, it was the domain of the Election Commission, and following publication of last preceding census on 07.08.2023, duly notified delimitation of constituencies was in progress, a mandatory requirement stipulated by Article 51(5) of the Constitution and section 17 of the Elections Act, 2017."

Urging the poll panel for free and fair elections, he wrote, "It is the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan to abide by all the constitutional and legal steps stipulated under Articles 51,218, 219, 220 and the Elections Act, 2017 for organizing and conducting free and fair elections."

Pak National Assembly Dissolved

The National Assembly was dissolved by the President on the advice of former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on August 9. The move came three days prior to its mandated date.

This strategic move was vital considering the intricate election process. If the assembly finalised its constitutionally mandated term, the panel would only have 60 days to oversee the election. The rendorsement of a new census by the Council of Common Interests also complicated matters. This approval necessitated elections to be aligned with the new census data. 

The implication of this new data is a delimitation process, which grants the ECP 120 days as per existing laws. Once this process concludes, the election proceedings will commence, implying a likely postponement of the polls by several months.