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The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Tuesday urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to complete fresh delimitation of constituencies as soon as possible to ensure the timely conduct of general elections.
According to a press release issued by the ECP after a consultative meeting with a delegation of the PPP on the electoral roadmap, the party emphasized that holding general elections within 90 days of dissolution of assemblies was a constitutional requirement. However, it said, the PPP had acknowledged that as the schedule for delimitation had already been announced, it should be expedited and a schedule for conduct of polls issued.
In its discussions with the ECP, the PPP claimed timely elections would help revive the economy, lower the political temperature and end uncertainty.
In response, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja assured the PPP that the delimitation process would be completed as soon as possible and would immediately be followed by general elections.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, PPP’s Nayyar Bukhari reiterated that it would be a violation of the Constitution if elections were delayed beyond 90 days of the dissolution of assemblies. Similarly, Senator Sherry Rehman said the conduct of elections within the stipulated period, and not delimitation, was a priority under the Constitution. She said that the country needed a government with a clear mandate to tackle the economic turmoil facing the country, adding that the meeting had been held in a positive atmosphere.
In recent days, the ECP has been meeting various delegations of major political parties to hold consultations on the electoral roadmap. Last week, it met the PMLN, JI, MQM-P, and PTI. It is set to meet delegations of the BNP and ANP this week.