Election date: ECP reacts to President Alvi's letter

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has reacted to President Arif Alvi’s letter regarding the election date, ARY News reported citing sources. 

According to sources within ECP, the commission will respond to the letter regarding the election date after analyzing the content of letter.

Sources said that they would respond according to the constitution of Pakistan as it did to the previous letter.

Furthermore, the ECP holds the constitutional right to announce the election date and the election schedule will be announced after the completion of delimitation process which is set to complete on November 30, sources added.

Earlier today, President Arif Alvi suggested November 6, 2023, as the date for general elections in Pakistan in a letter addressed to Chief Election Commissioner.

صدر مملکت ڈاکٹر عارف علوی کا چيف الیکشن کمشنر ، سکندر سلطان راجہ، کے نام خط

صدر مملکت نے 9 اگست کو وزیراعظم کے مشورے پر قومی اسمبلی کو تحلیل کیا، صدر مملکت pic.twitter.com/5W88oKxX62

— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) September 13, 2023

President Arif Alvi noted that the National Assembly was dissolved on Prime Minister’s advice on August 9, 2023, and the Constitution of Pakistan empowers the president to announce a date for general election “not later than ninety days from the date of the dissolution (of assembly)” so election should be held by the eighty-ninth day of the date of dissolution of Assembly i.e. Monday, November 06, 2023.

Read more: President Arif Alvi suggests election date in letter to CEC

The announcement can be termed the culmination of the months-long debate over whether the President or the ECP has the right to announce the date of elections.

President Arif Alvi had invited Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja to discuss the date for general elections on August 23 upon which the CEC wrote a letter to him stating that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) respects President Arif Alvi, but there is no need for consultation on the election date as per the Election Amendment Act, the president can announce the election date when the assembly is dissolved by the presidency, however, ECP is autonomous in announcing the date.

Last week, the Ministry of Law had also conveyed to President Arif Alvi that he has no role in the announcement of date for polls “following the amendment in Elections Act.

The law ministry had forwarded its response to President Arif Alvi’s letter, seeking opinion on ECP stance that “only it had the authority to decide the election date”.

In the letter, the Law Ministry said that the right of announcing the date of election rests with the ECP.