The Election Commission of Pakistan on Friday extended the deadline for submission of nomination papers by two days for the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 8, 2024.
As per the original election schedule issued by the ECP last week, the last date for filing nomination papers for national and provincial assembly seats was set to expire today at 4:30pm.
In a statement today, the electoral watchdog announced that the last date has been moved forward by two days to December 24 (Sunday).
The ECP statement said the decision was taken after requests from political parties to facilitate the process.
“Political parties must submit priority lists for specific seats to returning officers within the stipulated time,” said the electoral watchdog.
The statement added that the amended schedule is also available on the ECP’s website.
A day earlier, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) joined its allies, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), in requesting a two-day extension beyond the December 22 deadline for filing nomination papers for the upcoming general elections.
In a letter addressed to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), PML-N Election Cell Chairman Ishaq Dar argued that extending the deadline until Sunday would accommodate the aspirations of numerous candidates aiming to participate in the elections scheduled for February 8, 2024.
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On Wednesday, the JUI-F and the MQM-P also wrote to the ECP, seeking an extension in the date for filing nomination papers by three days. The JUI-F suggested that the voting date should remain the same and instead the ECP should cut the time period fixed for the scrutiny of the nomination papers.
According to the schedule issued by the polls supervisor, aspiring candidates are required to file nomination papers starting from December 20, 2023, with scrutiny dates fixed from December 24 to 30, 2023. The filing of nomination papers was supposed to end today.
The last date for filing appeals against the decision of the returning officers rejecting or accepting the nomination papers would be on Jan 3, 2024, and the last date for deciding the appeals by the appellate tribunal is fixed for Jan 10, 2024.
The ECP will publish the revised list of the candidates on Jan 11 next year. The last date for withdrawal of candidature and publication of a revised list of candidates is Jan 12, 2024.
The poll body will allot election symbols to the contesting candidates on Jan 13 and polling will be held on Feb 8, 2024.
