The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced on Thursday that the country’s general elections are set to occur during the last week of January 2024.

In accordance with the new census, the electoral body revealed plans to release a preliminary list of delimitations on September 27.

After assessing the progress in the delimitation process, the ECP decided to publish the final list of constituencies on November 30. This will follow a thorough review of objections and suggestions concerning the delimitations.

Following the completion of the 54-day election schedule, the polls will take place in the final week of January 2024, as stated in the ECP’s announcement.

The ECP’s statement brings an end to the uncertainty that surrounded the elections. Previously, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government had mandated the electoral body to carry out new delimitations before conducting the polls, causing concerns of potential delays.

Due to the early dissolution of the national and provincial assemblies in August, the ECP was obliged to hold elections within a stipulated 90-day timeframe, meaning the polls should have occurred by November 6.

However, the ECP cited constitutional obligations to redraw boundaries before the elections, making it impossible to adhere to the 90-day timeframe.

Key political parties, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), along with international voices from the United States and the United Kingdom, pressed the Election Commission to expedite the polls to end the prevailing uncertainty in the country.

US Ambassador Donald Blome met with CEC Sikander Sultan Raja to reaffirm support for “free and fair elections” and emphasized that the choice of Pakistan’s future leaders should be made by the Pakistani people.

This development followed President Arif Alvi’s suggestion of a cut-off date for holding polls in a letter to CEC Raja, citing constitutional authority to appoint an election date not later than 90 days after assembly dissolution.

In response, the ECP argued that the president no longer possessed the power to set the poll date following amendments in election laws