ECP issues code of conduct for Presidential Elections

ISLAMABAD: With presidential election scheduled on Tuesday (tomorrow), the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued the code of conduct for the voters.

The chief election commissioner will serve as the returning officer and the chief justices of high courts will be presiding officers in the election.

The polling stations have been set up in the national assembly and the four provincial assemblies. According to the code of conduct, mobile phones will be strictly prohibited during the vote casting.

The presidential elections will be held on September 4.

It is going to be a three-pronged contest between ruling PTI’s presidential candidate Dr. Arif Alvi, Pakistan Peoples Party’s Aitzaz Ahsan and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is being supported by the grand alliance of opposition parties, excluding the PPP.

The opposition led by Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) remained divided over PPP’s decision to nominate Ahsan for president causing split in the strength of the combined opposition in the parliament.

With a divided opposition, which is otherwise formidable in numbers, the Presidential Election will prove a cakewalk for the PTI candidate, Dr. Arif Alvi, as the opposition votes will be divided in two candidates, PPP’s Aitzaz Ahsan and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman.