Electoral Governance: ECP’s Measures for Parliamentary Seat Allocation and Independent Affiliation

Islamabad: After the deadline for independent candidates to affiliate with political parties lapsed on Thursday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has initiated proactive measures to ensure compliance with constitutional requirements regarding the occupancy of seats by winning candidates.

The commission has taken cognizance of candidates who emerged victorious in more than one constituency and has issued notifications to prompt them to declare their preferred seat promptly.

Emphasizing adherence to constitutional provisions, the ECP reiterated that according to the Constitution and law, a candidate is entitled to hold only one parliamentary seat. Therefore, winning candidates successful in multiple seats must inform the commission about their preferred constituency without delay.

Prominent political figures such as Maryam Nawaz and Shehbaz Sharif, among others, have been summoned by the election commission to specify their seat preference, in accordance with constitutional provisions governing parliamentary representation.

The commission has announced that by-elections will be conducted for vacant seats following the compilation of details regarding preferred seats by winning candidates.

In the event of unsuccessful communication regarding preferred seats by winning candidates, the election commission will proceed to issue notifications regarding their last won constituency. This step aims to streamline parliamentary representation and maintain the integrity of the electoral process.

Meanwhile, independent candidates backed by the PTI, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Omar Ayub, have chosen not to affiliate with the Sunni Ittehad Council, possibly to participate in the upcoming intra-party polls of the PTI.

However, the Sunni Unity Council has witnessed a significant influx of 86 newly elected independent candidates from the National Assembly. Additionally, eight successful independent candidates have aligned with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), while two remain unaffiliated with any party.

Notably, the election commission has yet to issue notifications for five successful independent members of the National Assembly (MNAs) out of a total of 101, indicating meticulous scrutiny and procedural diligence to ensure accurate representation within the parliamentary landscape.