Islamabad: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leadership wants national elections held within 90 days, warning that a constitutional crisis may result if they take longer.
The PPP’s leaders held a press conference on Friday after a CEC meeting on elections and the economy.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) published the timetable of new delimitations for the 2017 census approved by the Council of Common Interests (CCI) earlier this month on August 17.
The ECP schedule showed that fresh delimitation will take approximately four months, therefore general elections cannot held within 90 days of the province and national assembly’ dissolution.
PPP Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman called the 2023 census “controversial” but claimed the CCI meeting had assured elections will not postponed owing to new delimitations.
She stated all CEC members agreed that votes must delayed. “There were no [National Assembly] seat changes, so elections shouldn’t be delayed.”
The PPP senior leader said her party will meet with the ECP before another huddle. “The interim government cannot change the Constitution or law.”
Census doesn’t need more limits
Sindh’s former chief minister Murad Ali Shah said fresh delimitations shouldn’t postpone elections. “Our goal is timely elections. He said that this census does not need new delimitations.
He claimed the digital census was controversial and that the Constitution does not need new delimitations.
The party’s Nayyar Bukhari said the next CEC meeting on August 29 will examine the ECP huddle.
“The judiciary can interpret the Constitution but not rewrite it,” Bukhari remarked, adding that only parliament can modify it.
