ECP announces late date for freezing voter lists

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced the last date for freezing the voter lists across the country, ARY News reported on Sunday.

The ECP spokesperson Haroon Khan Shinwari said in a statement that the voter lists across the country will be frozen on October 25, formally stopping the process of registration, correctness and transfer of voters.

He said that the data of more than 800,000 nationals was collected from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the data entry process was underway.

Read: ECP suspends registration of political party

The spokesperson said that all of the registered nationals could cast votes in the upcoming general elections. There are only 10 days left for the registration, transfer and correctness of the voters’ data.

Shinwari asked the nationals to ensure the registration of their votes at the earliest before the deadline expires.

Important message for the Voters of Pakistan #ECP pic.twitter.com/JepQTV0vok

— Election Commission of Pakistan (OFFICIAL) (@ECP_Pakistan) October 15, 2023

Earlier, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) pledged to make essential changes to the draft code of conduct for the upcoming elections in response to the concerns of political parties.

The ECP pledged to amend the code of ethics based on feedback from political parties, with the aim of guaranteeing equitable and transparent elections.

Apart from the members of the Election Commission, representatives of various political parties and senior officers of the Election Commission participated in the meeting.

Related: ECP plans to invite int’l observers for upcoming general elections

Convened under Section 233 of the Elections Act, this meeting aimed to engage with political parties regarding the code of conduct for the forthcoming general elections.

The Election Commission collected input from political parties concerning the draft code of conduct and received their suggestions for its improvement.

Last month, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced that general elections would be held in the last week of January 2024.

“The final delimitation list will be published on November 30,” said ECP, adding that general elections will be held in the last week of January 2024 following the 54-day election schedule.

The electoral body was under immense pressure from the political parties regarding the announcement of the election date.