ECP members: Parliament body meets today

The parliamentary committee will meet today at 2:00 pm in the Parliament House to elect its chairman, the National Assembly Secretariat has announced in a notification.

The office of the chairman of the committee has been vacant after former senator Rafique Rajwana was named by the government as Governor of Punjab.

The parliament committee has an strength of 12 members with equal representation from the government and the opposition. Under the procedure the prime minister and the leader of opposition after mutual consultation send their approved names to the parliament body for its final approval.

The ECP postponed the polls of mayors and deputy mayors once again that were scheduled to be held on June 29 in Sindh.

The decision was taken following the retirement of four members of the commission, whose tenure came to an end on June 12, the ECP said in a statement.

“As per Article 218 (3), it is the duty of this election commission to organise and conduct the election,” said a spokesperson of the ECP Sindh chapter. “Since these members have retired, the election of mayors, deputy mayors and chairmen of the councils and oath-taking ceremony of councillors on reserved seats have been postponed,” the spokesman said. He added that a new schedule will be announced after the new members are inducted in the commission.

This is the second time the polling for the elections of mayor and deputy mayor have been postponed.

Earlier, the elections for the mayor, deputy mayor, chairman and vice-chairman, which were scheduled to take place on 8th June were postponed on the court orders.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has announced to hold protests against postponement of the mayor elections before the offices of the election commission.