ISLAMABAD-The Election Commission of Pakistan on Thursday announced the schedule for next local bodies elections in Islamabad.
According to the schedule issued by ECP, the local bodies’ election would be conducted on December 24 this year across the city.
The nomination papers for the local government elections in Islamabad could be filed with the commission from November 7 to 11, while the vetting process would continue from November 15 to 18.The candidates can appeal to challenge returning officers’ decisions on the papers from November 21 to 23, while the rulings on these appeals would be announced till November 28.
Meanwhile, the nominations could be withdrawn by candidates until November 30 after which the remaining would be allotted their election symbols by December 1.
The ECP has also placed a ban on postings and transfers following the announcement of the schedule of the local government polls in the federal capital. Moreover, all the political stakeholders have also been barred from commissioning and commencement of new development projects for the ICT (Islamabad Capital Territory).
In June 2022, the ECP had announced to hold the local government election in 50 union councils of Islamabad on 31st July but the same could not be held because the interior ministry had increased the number of union councils from 50 to 101.
Now, after the delimitation of the union councils, the ECP has once again announced the schedule to hold the elections.
The Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad was formed in 2016 following first ever local government elections in Islamabad in November 2015 and Sheikh Anser Aziz of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was chosen as first mayor of the capital.
However, during its five-year term, the MCI failed to deliver as neither the PML-N nor the PTI governments showed any interest to practically own the local government setup.
Later, the federal government had clipped all the major wings of MCI by returning many directorates to the administrative control of CDA in October 2020 on the pretext of “ensuring smooth and effective service delivery in the capital and to ease the difficulties being faced by its citizens.”
These directorates were given to CDA for an interim period of six months under section 94(2) of Islamabad Local Government Act, 2015 but the same are still in the control of the civic authority.
In the last elections, the 70 members house had a majority of PML-N with 46 members including 11 independent candidates, who joined the party after independently managing to win the election while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had 24 members in the house.
Pakistan Peoples’ Party could not get even a single seat at that time, however, now a number of candidates are preparing to step into the elections because their parties are in coalition in the federal government.
However, reliable sources informed that the top leadership of both parties don’t want local government elections as it will create several problems for the multi-party ruling alliance before the next general elections.