Pakistan Election Commission starts preparations for upcoming Senate elections
- 24 Jan 2021
Tariq Butt, Correspondent
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has initiated the process of holding the upcoming Senate elections, for which the schedule of the voting was expected to be released in the second week of February.
The voting will be held to elect 48 new senators — 11 each from Punjab and Sindh and 12 each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, while two from the federal capital. They will replace the retiring senators on March 11.
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The Senate polls will be based on proportional representation and single transferable vote. The ECP has not taken any decision so far on the mode of voting - secret or open.
Image only for representation
The government has sent a reference to the Supreme Court for interpretation of the relevant constitutional clauses for the election mode. In its statement to the apex court, the ECP had opposed open balloting.
Officials said that preparations for the Senate elections have been divided in three phases. They added that the ECP has begun work on a schedule, which was expected to be released in the second week of next month.
Simultaneously, the ECP has started training of officers for conducting the elections. The polling staff will be trained in two phases, the sources said, adding that the first phase of training will begin next week to be followed by the second phase.
Everyone is waiting for a decision from the Supreme Court on the mode of voting. Meanwhile, all the political parties having representation in the electoral college are in the process of finalising their candidates for the Senate elections.