[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]President Dr Arif Alvi announced on Monday that elections will be held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab on April 9, despite the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) delay in announcing the date. The president announced the date by exercising his authority under Section 57 (1) of the Elections Act of 2017, and he also requested that the electoral body issue an election programme in accordance with Section 57 (2) of the Act.
Last week, the president summoned Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja to an emergency meeting on February 20 (Monday) to discuss the election date after criticising the ECP’s “poignant approach” to the general election date.
However, the election commission had excused itself from meeting with President. The president stated in his letter to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja that he was under oath under Article 42 read with the third schedule of the Constitution to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution.
He wrote that there was no impediment to invoking the power and authority vested in him under Section 57 (1) of the Elections Act, 2017, which empowered him to “announce the date or dates of the general elections after consultation with the Commission” because there was no restraining order from any of the judicial fora.
The president also stated that he felt it was necessary to fulfil his constitutional and statutory duty to announce the date of elections in order to avoid an infringement and breach of the Constitution and law, namely, the holding of elections.
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