PESHAWAR: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided hold the first phase of Local Government (LG) polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on party-bases.
The decision was taken after the Peshawar High Court declared the village and neighborhood council election on non-party bases “unconstitutional”.
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The ECP has issued directives to the Returning Officers (ROs) to write parties’ names on the nomination papers. The ECP said that aspiring candidates should submit the party tickets with their nominations papers to the election commission. The political parties were directed to provide tickets to candidates on each village and neighborhood council seat.
On 2The PHC in short judgment had directed the Election Commission to take necessary steps to hold the Local Government (LG) elections on party bases. The petition against the elections was filed by Akram Khan Durrani of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Inayatullah Khan and Mushtaq Ahmad Khan of Jamaat-e-Islami and Khushdal Khan and Hamayat Ullah Mayar of the Awami National Party.
According to a notification issued by the ECP, polling in the first phase of local body elections will take place on December 19. IN the first phase, elections will be held in Peshawar, Nowshera, Kohat, DI Khan, Lakki Marwat, Buner, Bajaur, Mardan, Swabi, Karak, Bannu, Tank, Haripur, Khyber, Charsadda, Hangu and Mohmand.
The ECP said that candidates would be able to submit nomination papers from November 4 to 8. Returning officers will release the lists of candidates who have submitted their papers on November 9, after which they will scrutinize the nomination papers from November 10 to 12. Candidates running for local government elections will be able to file appeals for scrutiny from November 13 to 16, and the appellate tribunals will rule on appeals by November 19.
According to the schedule of the first phase of local body elections, the revised lists of candidates will be released on November 20, while the candidates will be able to withdraw their nomination papers by November 22. The notification said that the nominees would be allotted election symbols on November 23.