Pakistan to Hold General Elections on February 8 Following “Set in Stone” Final Poll Body Announcement

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has notified the Supreme Court that the general elections in Pakistan will go place on February 8, putting an end to the uncertainty surrounding the highly anticipated polls. The revised date, which is now “set in stone,” was revealed during President Arif Alvi and senior election officials’ meeting on Thursday. This occurred only hours after the counsel for the electoral commission informed the highest court that polls will take place on February 11.

The president’s office announced that Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, and four electoral body members met with President Alvi to discuss the timing of the general elections after the ruling of the nation’s highest court.

Earlier, during the hearing of a series of petitions demanding that elections be held within ninety days after the dissolution of the National Assembly and the provincial legislatures, the ECP informed the Supreme Court of the date of February 11. The ECP did not specify a date for the elections last month, just that they will take place in January 2024.

The appeals filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), and other parties were heard by a three-judge panel. The top court panel questioned the election body’s attorney to make clear the election body’s position on conducting national elections. The ECP had previously said that elections will take place 54 days after the conclusion of the delimitation process by November 30.

In response, Sajeel Swati said that all other preparations, including the drafting of seats, would be finished by January 29 and that the final list of constituencies will be released on December 5. Following the National Assembly’s dissolution on August 9, the election date was a contentious topic for weeks. Although elections were scheduled to take place within 90 days, the ECP postponed the election in order to finalize the electoral districts in light of the recent census.

Alvi had suggested that elections be conducted by November 6 in a letter he had addressed to Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja on September 13. Alvi was subsequently notified by the Ministry of Law and Justice, nonetheless, that the ECP, not the president, had the authority to declare the vote date. With political parties already entering election mode, the election date is anticipated to put an end to the unpredictability in Pakistan, which is severely financially stressed.