ISLAMABAD: Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar disclosed that conducting elections based on the 2023 digital census will take more than five months.
Azam NazeerTarar said that the Council of Common Interest (CCI) meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has decided to hold the upcoming general election in the country according to the results of the 2023 census.
He added that as per Article 51 of the Constitution, the general elections 2023 for the national and provincial assemblies will be conducted based on the limits of the constituencies published by the Commission.
The law minister informed that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is responsible for completing the delimitation process within an outer limit of 120 days. However, the ECP has the discretion to decide when they initiate the process.
In addition, He emphasizes that the results of the 2023 census indicate that the provinces’ share in the general seats of the National Assembly will remain unchanged in the next elections.
However, The law minister mentioned that the outer limit of 120 days can be reduced through effective work, and an additional 54 days are required for the general elections.
He clarified that the entire process should not exceed 150 to 165 days.
CCI Meeting Concludes Without A Decisive Verdict On The Census Matter
The first meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) concluded without a decisive verdict on whether the upcoming elections in Pakistan will be based on the 2017 census or a freshly conducted one this year. The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, discussed the implications of adopting a new digital census methodology.
Key dignitaries from various provinces and federal ministries attended the CCI meeting, including Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, caretaker Chief Ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, and several federal ministers and secretaries. However, the absence of Balochistan’s Chief Minister, due to a flight delay, created a hurdle in reaching a final decision during the session.