ISLAMABAD: Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Omar Hamid Khan said on Monday that the electoral body would be “fully prepared” to hold general elections in October this year.
Addressing a press conference on electoral rolls preparation, he said that different state institutions assisted ECP in the preparation of the voter lists.
He said that the constituencies were demarcated according to Article 219 of the constitution, adding that the ECP was an independent and autonomous body and constitutionally mandated to prepare voter lists.
It is the foremost responsibility of the ECP to hold free and fair elections, he said.
The voter lists have been put on display at the display centres across the country (May 21-June 19) and people can visit the display centres for correction, if any, of their respective voter record, he said.
The secretary ECP said that the commission was carrying out delimitation of constituencies for general polls on the notified results of population census 2017.
The delimitation of constituencies for general elections will be completed in August this year, he said, adding that the ECP will be completely ready for the general elections in October.
If government decides to launch digital census, its report should be ready by December 31 this year, the secretary said. In such a situation, general elections can be held by August next year, Khan said.
Otherwise, ECP will rely on the results of population census 2017, he added.
New delimitation will be necessary in case of new census but its results need to be shared with ECP by December 31, he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022