The next general elections for the national and provincial legislatures will take place in October of this year, according to Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who has dismissed all rumours of a potential delay.
“Polls will be held within the next 60 days and the assemblies’ five-year terms will end in August. Elections will be held on time, Asif assured on Sunday. “
He responded, “In October,” when asked what he meant by “on time.” Elections will occur without delay in October.
According to Article 224 (1), “A general election to the National Assembly or a Provincial Assembly shall be held within a period of sixty days immediately following the day on which the term of the Assembly is due to expire, unless the Assembly has been sooner dissolved, and the results of the election shall be declared not later than fourteen days before that day.”
Although the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party had dissolved the assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in January of this year, anticipating that the action would push the ruling alliance to dissolve the other legislatures as well as hold elections within the 90-day term. That, however, did not take place.
The government has frequently resisted conducting snap elections or separate elections for the national and provincial legislatures, citing security concerns, a lack of funding, and recent census data.
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The case was brought before the Supreme Court, but even that court’s intervention couldn’t force elections in the two provinces where caretaker administrations continue to run the show 90 days after their terms ended.
The PTI had expressed concern that the government would decide against holding elections even in October.
In order to persuade the other parties in the ruling coalition to hold elections on time, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which is a member of the coalition, also established a three-person committee. Delaying the general election past October, according to PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, would be “foolish.”
Given that timely elections are essential for the economic and political stability, the PPP sprang into action after diplomats and foreign delegations began asking about election schedule frequently in their official meetings and social gatherings with government officials.
Briefly, when the government sat down across the table with the PTI to discuss polls’ date, it was hoped that elections could take place before October but then the talks ended in stalemate.
The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat)— a think tank focusing on political and public policy research—also emphasized holding free and fair general elections for all the assemblies by October 2023.
“General Elections for [the] National [Assembly] and four provincial assemblies in Pakistan must be held latest by October 2023 after the National Assembly completes its 5-year term on 12th August,” said a statement issued by Pildat, adding the Election Commission of Pakistan must be fully prepared for that.
The current National Assembly will complete its five-year term on August 12, 2023, Pildat said, adding the fresh general election must be conducted within 60 days, as laid down in the Constitution of Pakistan, which suggests the latest conceivable date for the 2023 general elections is October 12.
But it also said that if the National Assembly was to be dissolved even one day before the end of its term, the election would have to take place on November 11, 2023, within 90 days.
Only free, fair, and on-time general elections, in the opinion of political analysts, can restore Pakistan’s political stability, which is urgently needed.
