ISLAMABAD – Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja on Thursday said that schedule for upcoming general elections will be issued in a few days.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) chief stated this in his message on the eve of the National Voter’s Day.
He appealed to the people to exercise their right to vote for the bright future of the country, adding that people should be sensitized that the power of vote is in their hands and should be used for their better future.
ECP is well aware of all its constitutional and legal obligations and is committed to conduct transparent and peaceful elections, he said.
Raja said the printing and delivery of the final election lists has been completed and the Commission is going to appoint of District Returning Officers, Returning Officers and Assistant Officers in coming days.
The CEC has already rejected any delay in elections, which are scheduled to take place on February 8, 2024.
Earlier this month, the top election body published the list of Final Delimitation-2023 (Form 7).
The constituencies have been finalized as per the digital population census. According to the Election Commission, there will be a total of 266 general seats in the National Assembly.
In Punjab, there will be 141 seats of the National Assembly, 51 in Sindh, 45 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 16 in Balochistan, according to the Election Commission. Additionally, there will be 3 National Assembly seats in the federal capital, Islamabad.
In the provincial legislatures, Balochistan holds 51 general seats, with 11 reserved for women and three for non-Muslims, totaling 65 seats. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has 115 general seats, along with 26 reserved for women and four for non-Muslims, making a total of 145 seats in the legislature.
Sindh holds 130 general seats, with 29 seats reserved for women and nine for non-Muslims, bringing the total number of seats to 168. Punjab encompasses 297 general seats, with 66 reserved for women and eight for non-Muslims. The provincial legislature’s total strength reaches 371 seats.
Therefore, the collective count of general seats across the four legislatures amounts to 593, along with 132 seats reserved for women and 24 seats reserved for non-Muslims.