Senate election likely to be deferred

ISLAMABAD: The Senate election likely to be deferred due to incomplete electoral college for the upper house election, citing sources ARY News reported on Thursday.

The National Assembly and four provincial assemblies are electoral college for the Senate.

Sources said that a month-long schedule required for holding the senate elections. The elections will be held after the National Assembly as well as four provincial legislatures will be completed.

It is to be mentioned here that the tenure of the half senators of the incumbent senate will be completed by March 11, while elections were expected to be held in the first week of the month.

Parliamentary sources said that the Senate elections could be deferred till the third week of March. “Incumbent senators will remain members of the house until election of the new senators,” sources added.

It was anticipated that the schedule for the Senate election may be released immediately after general elections.

A total of 50 senate members are expected to retire on March 11, while total strength of the senate will become 96 after four seats of FATA cancelled due to merger of the region with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The elections will be held for the 48 vacant seats in the Senate.