The Election Commission of Pakistan announced the schedule for Senate elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, citing delays due to an incomplete electoral college.
An official announcement states that on July 21, voting will take place at the provincial assembly building in Peshawar for seven general seats, two seats designated for women, and two seats designated for K-P technocrats and ulema.
The K-P Assembly speaker declined to administer oaths to members elected on reserved seats, causing the elections, which were originally planned for April 2, 2024, to be postponed. The ECP postponed the polls because of the impasse, which left the electoral college unfinished.
Furthermore, the commission has declared the election schedule for the Senate seat that Dr. Sania Nishtar left vacant. On July 9, a notice will be released to the public, and on July 10 and 11, nomination papers can be submitted.
In the meantime, the ECP has started the election process again for the Senate seat that was left empty after Senator Sajid Mir passed away. Due to the electoral college’s unfinished makeup, these elections were also postponed.
The returning officer will publish a new list of candidates on July 15 in accordance with the updated schedule, and nomination papers must be withdrawn by July 16. On July 21, voting will take place at Lahore’s Punjab Assembly building.
