President Alvi declares the Date of the Punjab and KP elections

Alvi declares elections Date: According to Section 57 (1) of the Elections Act of 2017, President Dr. Arif Alvi on Monday set April 9, 2023 (Sunday) as the date for the general elections of the provincial assembly of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

In accordance with Section 57(2) of the Act, he also requested that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issue an election programme.

The president stated in a letter to Pakistan’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja that he had taken an oath under Article 42 read with the third Schedule of the Constitution to preserve, protect, and defend the Pakistani Constitution.

The president claimed that since no judicial body had issued a restraining order, he was free to exercise the power and authority granted to him by Section 57 (1) of the Elections Act of 2017, which allows him to “announce the date or dates of the general elections after consulting with the Commission.”

He continued that to prevent the violation and breach of the Constitution and law, namely the conduct of elections not later than ninety days, he had thought it necessary to carry out his constitutional and statutory responsibility to announce the date of elections.

President Accuses Punjab and K-P Governors and Election Regulatory Body of Avoiding Responsibility for Setting Election Date

The president further claimed that the governors of Punjab and K-P were failing to fulfil their constitutional obligations to set a date, and he said that the election regulatory body was also avoiding taking responsibility for the situation. “He claimed that both constitutional offices were putting the onus on each other’s court, and he warned that there was a substantial risk of violating constitutional requirements as a result.”

President Alvi emphasised that the ECP had already provided potential election dates in a number of emails to constitutional officials, demonstrating its own obligation to hold elections within ninety days following the dissolution of the assemblies.

It should be mentioned that President Alvi on Friday requested a “urgent meeting” with the CEC on February 20 to discuss the dates for the elections in Punjab and K-P.

But, in response to the letter, the ECP stated on Sunday that because the matter was still pending, it was unable to speak with him about the upcoming provincial assembly elections.