ISLAMABAD. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja has decided not to meet President Arif Alvi to hold consultations on fixing the election date.
The Chief Election Commissioner has written a letter to the President informing him of the decision to not come to the Aiwan-e-Sadr to hold consultations on the elections.
The letter said consultations were not necessary after an amendment to Section 57 of the Election Act. He can the ECP cannot fix the date of elections at the moment.
The letter mentioned that the National Assembly was dissolved on August 8 on the advice of the Prime Minister.
Before amending Section 57 of the Election Act, consultation with the President was necessary for the election schedule. It is the prerogative of the Election Commission to give the election date after the amendment, the letter added.
If the president dissolves the assembly by himself, it is the authority of the president and election commission, to give the date of the election However, the president dissolved the assembly on the advice of the prime minister, so it is the authority of the election commission to give the election date, it added.
The letter said in the current situation, it is not necessary to consult the president for the date of election. It said the ECP is currently engaged in forming constituencies.
The CEC said the ECP is serious about conducting general elections and has started consultation with political parties. The ECP said consultation with the President will be of scant importance at this time and the CEC cannot be involved in consultation with the president.
It must be mentioned that deciding the election date is the discretion of the ECP after a recent amendment to the Election Act. The amendments to the election laws by the previous government stripped the presidential power to fix the date.
Section 57(1) now reads, “The commission shall announce the date or dates of the general elections by notification in the official gazette and shall call upon the constituencies to elect their representatives.”
President Arif Alvi had invited CEC Sikander Sultan Raja to hold a meeting to fix an appropriate date for the general elections.
In a letter, the president informed CEC Raja that it is liable to him to appoint a date for the elections under Article 48 (5) of the Constitution no later than 90 from the date of dissolution of the assembly.
“Foregoing in view, the chief election commissioner is invited for a meeting with the president today or tomorrow to fix an appropriate date,” stated the letter.
