ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday issued Senate election schedule of all four provinces.According to the ECP, polling to elect senators will be held on March 3 whereas nomination papers can be submitted from February 4-6 and their scrutiny will be completed by February 9, the final list of the contestants will be issued on February 15.
The contestants can take back their nomination papers till February 16. The ECP issued nomination papers today, and stated that schedule for the seats reserved for Islamabad and FATA will be announced later.
A total of 52 senators are set to complete their term this year. Since the Elections Act, 2017, could not be extended to the Federal Capital and the Tribal Areas, therefore, the schedule for these regions could not be issued today.
Talking to media, Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad Thursday said Senate elections would be held as per schedule and training of polling staff had already been completed by the ECP. He pointed out that the commission had written to the government on January 2 for extension of the act to Islamabad and Fata.
The secretary said that printing of Senate elections material had been started while the ECP was working to finalise all necessary arrangements for holding of elections.
The tenure of 52 senators from four provinces, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and Islamabad is going to expire on March 11 after completion of their six-year term in the upper house of parliament. INP
