What was earlier feared is no longer inevitable – a lengthy delay in the general election possibly till next year. The incoming caretaker prime minister should prepare himself for a long stay when he holds office.
The government announced it shall dissolve assemblies on August 9, following which elections should be held within 90 days. However, on August 1, the prime minster made a startling statement that elections will be held on the basis of the new census. There wasn’t much pushback suggesting that the allied parties backed the move. Although some of the ruling allies, including the PPP, opposed holding polls under the fresh census, the Council of Common Interest (CII) approved the results of the 2023 digital census.
After ratifying the census, it was certain that the general elections may not be held this year due to need for fresh delimitations. The government, after earlier denying that polls will be delayed by a long period, shifted the responsibility of conducting the election to the ECP. Any delay will be easily blamed on the election commission.
The ECP has already declared that conducting elections on fresh delimitation requires at least four to six months. The fears were confirmed when two federal ministers hinted at a delay in the elections as far as March 2024. This implies that the interim setup, which has been empowered to take decisions, will be stay on until then.
It appears not the obligation of fresh delimitation was but an excuse to delay the polls. It must also be noted that delimitation will be carried out under the caretaker government. This will surely ignite further controversy if several of the key political parties raise objections. There is already brouhaha on the census results, gerrymandering in constituencies and the distribution of resources.
It should not be forgotten that an untoward precedent was already set when the elections for Punjab and KP assemblies were not held amid a scuffle between different institutions. This was a grave violation of the Constitution and no one was held responsible. This has set an excuse for delaying elections again and holding the constitution in abeyance with impunity.
The government says there is no ulterior motive for the delay which shall be of more than two months, but it is evident that they requires more time for a level-playing field. There whim comes at a huge cost by prolonging the political crisis which will eventually aggravate the economic conditions.
