General Election 2024: ECP suggests date after President-CEC meeting

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has suggested General Elections 2024 date after a consultative meeting between President Dr Arif Alvi and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, ARY News reported on Thursday.

In a letter, CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja formally suggested President Alvi to hold the General Elections 2024 on February 11.

After the President-CEC meeting, a consultative session was held under the chair of the Chief Election Commissioner. Alongside ECP members and DG Law, the meeting was also attended by the legal team.

Attorney General Mansoor Usman also reached ECP headquarters and attended the key meeting.

Sources told ARY News that no consensus was made on the election date in the President-CEC meeting.

‘Three dates suggested to president’

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has suggested ‘three dates’ to President Dr Arif Alvi for the general elections 2024.

The meeting between President Dr Arif Alvi and the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) led delegation continued for an hour at the President’s House.

Sources told ARY News that the commission suggested three dates to President Alvi for general elections 2024. The president has been suggested January 28, January 4 and February 11 for the general polls, sources added.

It emerged that the commission would present the details of the important meeting to the top court tomorrow. The date prescribed by President Alvi would also be presented before the top court.

READ: PTI files amended petition in Supreme Court on election date

The ECP delegation reached the Central Secretariat after holding consultations with the president. However, CEC and delegation members refused to comment on their meeting with the president before the media.

Key development for general polls

Earlier today, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) delegation led by CEC reached the President’s House to consult President Dr Arif Alvi for finalising the general elections 2024 date following the Supreme Court’s (SC) directives.

The delegation members include the ECP secretary, four provincial members and DG Law. The president was expected to agree on the election date in an important meeting today, sources added.

Read: Election case: SC asks ECP to consult president on final election date

Supreme Court’s directives

The development came after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) today informed the Supreme Court that the general elections in the country will be held on February 11, 2024.

“Elections in the country will be held in the country after completion of delimitation on November 30,” ECP’s lawyer Sajeel Swati told the three-member bench.

The ECP’s lawyer, while sharing the schedule with the apex court, said that all arrangements including delimitation will be completed by January 29.

Explaining the delimitation process, the lawyer said it would take them 3 to 5 days to issue the final lists. He added that if 54 days are counted from December 5 then we get January 29 date.

The lawyer said that the ECP was looking to hold the polls on Sunday to make it easier for the people to participate in the elections. He added that under this plan the first Sunday would have fallen on February 4 and the second would be on February 11.

“We decided on our own that elections should be held on Sunday, February 11,” said the lawyer.

A three-member bench led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Athar Minallah heard the pleas.

The petitioners in the case, including the Supreme Court Bar, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and others pleaded that the general elections in the country should be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the assembly by the Constitution.

The Supreme Court (SC) directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to consult the president of Pakistan on the final election date.