Pakistan Election Commission official on Thursday announced the tentative date of general elections and claimed that the country is fully prepared to hold the polls, Dawn reported.
Election Commission Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal was quoted as saying that if the National Assembly is dissolved on August 12, when its five-year term ends, elections will be held by October 11.
The ECP official’s statement about the election date comes as political parties, especially those part of the ruling coalition, are increasingly engaged in deliberations – reportedly over the timing of the elections and other matters as well. According to the daily, ahead of the elections due later this year.
Earlier last week, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that his term would end on August 13, 2023, announcing that his government would hand over power to a caretaker setup before the end of its term next month.
Why is Shahbaz handing over early?
Under the constitution, if the National Assembly completes its term, elections must be held within 60 days. But if the assembly is dissolved prematurely, even for a day, the government will have 90 days to hold elections.
The five-year term of the National Assembly began on August 12, 2018 under the then Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government of Imran Khan and is set to end under the ruling coalition led by Shehbaz. Addressing a laptop distribution function in Sialkot, Shahbaz said: “Our government will complete its term next month. We hope that we will leave before the completion of the term and the new interim government will take over.
He further said that if his party (PML-N) wins the upcoming general elections, it will change the fortunes of the country.
Significantly, the current Shahbaz government came to power in April last year after the overthrow of the Imran Khan regime. Since then, the government has been facing several headwinds – be it economic, inflation or domestic unrest. Khan, facing multiple charges, has demanded early elections on several occasions. However, his demand was rejected by the Election Commission.