ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi has written a letter to the Ministry of Law and Justice seeking “advice” on the matter of fixing the election date. This comes in response to the clarification by the ECP that the President no longer possesses the authority to determine election dates.
The President’s office, in a statement shared on X, has announced that President Arif Alvi has written a letter to the Ministry of Law and Justice, addressing the ECP’s response concerning the meeting he had proposed to discuss the election date.
However, Caretaker Law Minister Ahmad Irfan Aslam has noted that they have not yet received the President’s letter. He said the ministry will respond in accordance with applicable laws once they receive the letter.
The ECP’s response comes after President Alvi had invited Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja to discuss the election date. The ECP, during a meeting chaired by CEC Raja, stated that President Alvi no longer has the authority to fix the election date after amendments to the election laws.
The CEC’s response highlighted that Section 57 of the Elections Act, 2017 has been amended, giving the ECP more authority regarding the election dates. The ECP believes that the power to decide election dates rests exclusively with the commission if the assembly is dissolved on the advice of the prime minister or by afflux of time as provided in Article 58(1) of the Constitution.
Furthermore, the CEC emphasized the importance of fresh delimitation after the approval of the 2023 census results, which is crucial in the electoral process. In light of this exchange, the ECP believes that participating in a meeting with the President to decide the election date would be of “scant consequence.”
