Pakistan’s process of transition of power through general elections is scheduled for February 8, 2024, a date chosen by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), an institution mandated to hold general elections but which has already abdicated its constitutional responsibility to hold polls within 90 days since August 2023. The country’s caretaker government, under interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, which took charge in August 2023, had the task to organize the general election within the assigned 90 days of taking over. Instead it opted for an extension of its tenure and left it to the ECP to decide on a date for the elections. Among many reasons, the caretaker government has maintained that the deteriorating security situation, economic tumult and the restructuring of constituencies as per the recent digital census have been a hurdle for the ECP to hold polls within the constitutionally assigned 90 days. While many voices in the country still doubt that the ECP would be able to hold polls by 8th February 2024; it seems that the prospect of general elections in February 2024 are bright as the ECP published the final delimitation list of constituencies for the national and provincial assemblies. As per the notification, Pakistan’s National Assembly has a total of 266 general seats, 10 reserved seats for non-Muslims and 60 reserved seats for women, bringing the total to 336. The mainstream political parties are also up and running with their election campaigns, political strategies and maneuvers to gain more support from electable candidates. (IANS)
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