ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Tuesday extended the date for registration of voters for local government elections in the federal capital till the issuance of LG polls schedule to “avoid disenfranchisement of eligible voters to use their right of vote.”
The cut-off date for registration of electoral rolls or voters lists for LG elections in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) was January 14 this year keeping in view that the term of local bodies in Islamabad expired on February 14, according to ECP.
Although, Section 39 (1) of Elections Act 2017 restricts any change in the electoral rolls after the cut-off date, however, the ECP extended the cut-off date for electoral rolls preparation in exercise of its powers under Section 49 (1) of Elections Act 2017.
Section 39 (1) reads, “No revision of or correction in an electoral roll of an electoral area or inclusion or transfer of a vote from the electoral roll of an electoral area to the electoral roll of another electoral area shall be made nor shall any order—be made in respect of any electoral roll during the period beginning thirty days before the day on which the term of an Assembly or a local government is due to expire (hereinafter referred to as the cut-off date) till announcement of the results of the general election to the Assembly or the local government but it shall not apply to an election to fill a casual vacancy in an Assembly or a local government.”
Section 49 (1) reads, “Where the Commission is satisfied that it is not possible to follow the procedure laid down for the preparation or revision of an electoral roll in respect of any electoral area, the Commission may, after recording the exceptional circumstances necessitating deviation from the laid down procedure, direct that an electoral roll for such electoral area shall be prepared in such manner as it deems fit.”
According to ECP, so far, there are 876,974 registered voters in ICT including 462,445 male voters (53 per cent) and 414,529 female voters (47 per cent).
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021