Election Commission of Pakistan Releases Schedule for Senate Elections

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced the schedule for the upcoming Senate elections on 48 seats, scheduled for April 2.

According to the released schedule, Returning Officers (ROs) will issue a public notice today, inviting prospective candidates to submit their nomination papers. A scrutiny process and appeals will follow this.

The Senate elections will fill seats vacated after the expiration of the six-year term of the incumbent senators on March 11. However, the elections will only be held for 48 seats as four reserved seats for the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) were abolished after the 25th Constitutional amendment.

Members of the Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Sindh, and Punjab assemblies will vote to elect members against seven general seats, two women seats, two seats for technocrats, including Ulema, and one seat each for non-Muslims in Punjab and Sindh assemblies.

Additionally, members of the National Assembly will elect a senator for one general seat and one seat for technocrats, including Ulema, from the federal capital.

Key dates in the ECP’s schedule include:

• March 15 to 16: Submission of nomination papers.
• March 17: Publication of nominated candidates.
• March 19: Last date for scrutiny of nomination papers.
• March 21: Last date for filing appeals against acceptance or rejection of nominations.
• March 25: Last date for disposal of appeals by the tribunal.
• March 26: Publication of revised list of candidates.
• March 27: Date for withdrawal of candidature.
• April 2: Polling day.

The polling for the Senate elections will occur in Islamabad’s Parliament House and all four provincial assemblies from 9 am to 4 pm.

Returning officers have been appointed in Islamabad and the four provinces for the Senate election. ECP Director General Training Saeed Gul serves as the federal capital’s Returning Officer (RO). Provincial election commissioners will act as returning officers in their respective provinces.

This announcement comes as by-polls for six Senate seats are underway in Sindh, Balochistan, and Islamabad due to the prohibition of dual membership for lawmakers under Article 223 of the Constitution.