The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has reaffirmed that the general elections in 2024 will proceed as scheduled on February 8, responding to a Senate resolution seeking a postponement. Reports from local media indicate that the ECP asserts the inability to delay elections without a directive from the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Earlier today, the upper house of the Pakistani Parliament passed a resolution, presented by Senator Dilawar Khan, urging a delay in the upcoming general elections. The resolution cited security concerns and the challenging winter weather as reasons for the proposed postponement.
Read more : Senate Endorses Resolution Postponing 2024 General Elections
Senator Khan pointed to an escalation in security incidents, particularly in the regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, with the interior ministry reportedly conveying “serious threats to the lives of prominent politicians.” Additionally, he highlighted the adverse impact of harsh winter conditions on political parties’ ability to conduct campaigns, potentially affecting voter turnout.
The resolution stated, “To enable the effective participation of people from all regions of Pakistan and belonging to all political shades in the electioneering process, the elections scheduled for February 8, 2024, may be postponed.”
However, out of the 97 senators present in the upper chamber, only 14 supported the proposal, while one senator opposed it. Reports suggest that the ECP maintains the elections’ schedule unless instructed otherwise by the Supreme Court.
In Pakistan’s history of 75 years, there have been 11 general elections, with three of them (1985, 1997, and 2008) taking place in February. After the dissolution of the lower house of parliament in August of the previous year, national elections in Pakistan were originally slated for November.
The ECP released details of the polling scheme, revealing the establishment of 91,809 polling stations for 120.85 million voters. The voter distribution includes 60.92 million males and 50.93 million females. Over 1.07 million polling staff are set to perform duties on election day, with 96,812 presiding officers, 604,000 assistant presiding officers, and 307,000 polling officers. For Punjab, 526,123 polling staff will be deployed at 51,821 polling stations, and Sindh will see 264,100 polling officers at 19,236 polling stations, according to the released document.
