Election Commission Urged to Ensure Equality in Delimitation Process
The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) has called upon the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to emphasize the principle of population equality during the fresh delimitation exercise. FAFEN released a press statement on Sunday, stressing the importance of ensuring a fair and transparent delimitation process to enhance the electoral system and avoid population imbalances within electoral constituencies.
In line with the new census approved by the Council of Common Interests (CCI) earlier this month, the ECP announced the schedule for the fresh delimitation, with notifications expected to be issued in December this year. FAFEN has highlighted the significance of delimitation as a crucial mechanism for equitable distribution of political power among citizens, asserting that it must be carried out with justice and transparency.
According to the ECP schedule, the process of delimitation will take almost four months, which means that the general elections cannot be conducted within the 90-day period following the dissolution of provincial and national assemblies.
The ECP outlined that delimitation will be conducted from September 8 to October 7 across the country. Proposals for constituencies will be accepted from October 10 to November 8. The allocation of constituencies for the national and provincial assemblies will be completed from September 5 to September 7. Furthermore, administrative matters related to the constituencies will be finalized by August 31, with constituency committees established by August 21.
The ECP has set November 10 to December 9 as the period for addressing objections to the constituencies. Notably, the final publication of the digital census has been concluded. As per the Election Act, the ECP is obligated to delineate new boundaries for the numerous provincial and national assembly constituencies across the country.
At a meeting chaired by the then Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the CCI approved the final results of the 7th Population and Housing Census 2023, reporting the country’s population at 241.49 million with a growth rate of 2.55%. The constitutional approval by CCI necessitates the ECP to conduct elections based on the new delimitations derived from the 7th census results.
As per Article 51 (5) of the Constitution, the seats of the National Assembly for each province and the federal capital shall be allocated according to the population determined by the last officially published census.
To facilitate the timely elections, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government dissolved the national and provincial assemblies of Sindh and Balochistan prematurely, allowing the ECP the required 90 days to hold elections instead of the regular 60-day period following the constitutional tenure completion of the assembly.
In conclusion, FAFEN’s call for the Election Commission of Pakistan to prioritize population equality in the upcoming delimitation process is crucial for ensuring fairness and representation in the electoral system. The delimitation schedule and subsequent procedures announced by the ECP are outlined to achieve comprehensive and transparent results, adhering to constitutional obligations.
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