Meeting is now set to take place on October 11.
ISLAMABAD - The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has rescheduled its consultative meeting with political parties due to unavailability of party representatives.
The meeting is now set to take place on Wednesday, October 11th. This meeting is a significant step toward finalizing the code of conduct for the upcoming general elections in 2024. The political parties have given nod to participate in a second round of consultations regarding the code of conduct for the upcoming general elections.
The ECP had initially planned the second round of consultations with political parties for October 4th, with a focus on discussing the code of conduct for the general elections.
Approximately a month ago, the ECP held an initial consultative meeting with political parties to discuss various election-related matters. In preparation for the upcoming meeting, the ECP has shared an 88-point draft of the code of conduct with political parties. This draft is expected to be a vital part of the final preparations for the upcoming elections.
The draft code of conduct emphasizes the importance of political parties, candidates, and election agents upholding the rights and freedoms of the people of Pakistan, as guaranteed by the Constitution and the law.
It also advises against any actions or opinions that could undermine Pakistan’s ideology, sovereignty, integrity, security, or the independence of its judiciary.
The draft code further restricts public officeholders, including the president, prime minister, and others, from participating in election campaigns in any capacity.
Additionally, the ECP has clarified concerns raised by the monitoring group Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) regarding the preliminary delimitations of constituencies:
The ECP explained that its preliminary delimitations, based on the 2023 digital census, aimed to rationalize electoral districts and ensure equitable population representation.
Changes included consolidating districts and redistributing the number of seats allocated to various districts. The ECP clarified that seat distribution was determined at the district level, not the provincial level, as Fafen had mistakenly assumed. The Elections Act 2017, Section 20, outlines various rules for constituencies beyond population, and the reasons for changes in constituencies were detailed in the preliminary constituency report.
The rescheduled meeting with political parties is expected to play a critical role in shaping the code of conduct and finalizing preparations for the upcoming general elections in Pakistan.
