Islamabad: Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has been designated to oversee the voting process for selecting the Senate chairman, deputy chairman, and the oath-taking ceremony of the freshly elected senators.
Upon the recommendation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Zardari authorized Dar’s appointment as the PO by approving the related document.
As per the parliamentary tradition, the Senate secretariat stated that it is customary for the presiding officer of the initial session to be a current senator.
On Tuesday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) decided to delay Senate elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This decision was made following a request from opposition members who filed a plea, citing a dispute with the provincial government regarding the oath-taking of elected Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) for reserved seats as the reason for the postponement.
Meanwhile, concurrently, voting was taking place for the vacant positions in the Senate within the National Assembly and two provincial assemblies.
The ruling coalition, which consists of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), and other smaller parties, was expected to secure a two-thirds majority in the upper house of Parliament.
Voting commenced at 9 am and will persist until 4 pm at the National Assembly, Punjab Assembly, and Sindh Assembly. Meanwhile, the 11 candidates in Balochistan have been elected without opposition.
The election for selecting 48 senators was planned, with an initial distribution of 11 representatives from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan each, 12 from Punjab and Sindh, and 2 from Islamabad.
Following the uncontested election of 18 senators representing Punjab and Balochistan, there will now be elections for the 30 remaining vacant seats. Among the 59 candidates competing, they strive to secure their positions in the Senate.
