Pakistan election may be delayed by new census
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Supporters of Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan shouting anti-government slogans during a protest in the country's Quetta city on Aug 5.
PHOTO: AFP
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ISLAMABAD - A general election in Pakistan due later in 2023 will be based on a new census, the law minister said on Saturday, indicating that the vote could be delayed.
This is because new constituency boundaries would need to be drawn up to reflect the latest census figures.
The announcement fuelled opposition fears that a caretaker administration to be set up to oversee the vote could mean polling day will be pushed back by months.
The opposition party led by former premier Imran Khan
Mr Sharif’s tenure expires on Aug 12.
The caretaker government will take over from him to hold the election within a maximum of three months.
Police arrested Khan on Saturday
The government denies it is dragging its feet, saying it is a constitutional requirement to hold the election under the latest census.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told Geo News TV that it could take about four months to draw new constituency boundaries.
That means the election due by November at the latest could be delayed by several months, a former top official of the Election Commission of Pakistan, Mr Kanwar Dilshad, told Reuters.
“It is going to make things very complicated,” he said.
It is not possible to complete the process of drawing up new constituency boundaries and hold the election within the constitutionally required deadline, meaning the election cannot be held before February 2024, he said.
Mr Tarar said the decision was taken at a meeting of the Council of Common Interests, which included representatives from federal and provincial governments.
“It was a consensus decision to hold elections under the new census,” the minister said.
Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was arrested on Saturday.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The census shows the population has risen to 241.49 million.
The election commission will decide exactly how much time it needs, Mr Tarar said.
Mr Sharif has proposed dissolving Parliament on Aug 9, three days before the end of its term.
That would mean the election commission has 90 days to hold the vote against 60 days if Parliament were dissolved on Aug 12 at the end of its full five-year term. REUTERS
