ECP decides to hold Islamabad local govt elections

• ECP says UC secretaries cannot conduct local polls.
• Reserved-seat voting must be run by ECP-nominated officials.
• Islamabad local govt term expired on February 14, 2021.

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday announced it has decided to conduct local government elections in Islamabad and directed its office to prepare the election schedule.

In a reserved decision on the long-standing matter, the Commission noted that the amendment made in Section 15 of the ICT Local Government Act, 2015, through the ICT Amendment Act, 2024, is not in "consonance with the provisions of the Constitution, the Elections Act, 2017 and Section 20 of the ICT Local Government Act, 2015."

It added that under the Election Act, the ECP has the authority to appoint its own officers for elections.

The decision also noted that the Commission may designate district returning officers (DROs), returning officers (ROs) and assistant returning officers (AROs) from government departments, the judiciary or other public institutions for the conduct of polls.

The ECP ruled that secretaries of union councils cannot fulfil the responsibility of conducting local government elections, and that polls on reserved seats must also be carried out by officials nominated by the Commission.

According to the decision, the tenure of Islamabad’s local government ended on February 14, 2021. The Commission emphasised that, as an independent constitutional body, it has the responsibility to hold local government elections and is obliged to do so within 120 days of the expiry of a local government’s term.

The ECP has, therefore, instructed its office to prepare the detailed election schedule and arrangements for Islamabad’s local bodies polls.