In a crucial development ahead of the upcoming elections, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) unveiled the preliminary delimitation lists on Wednesday.
This significant step marks progress in the election preparation process, as the ECP strives to meet its goal of holding polls by the last week of January, although an exact date has yet to be confirmed.
The original delimitation schedule, initially released on August 17, stipulated that the initial delimitation process should conclude on October 7, with preliminary proposals and reports to be published on October 9. However, the ECP announced a compressed timeline on September 1, shortening the delimitation exercise by 14 days, aiming for completion by November 30 instead of the initially scheduled December 14.
In a press release issued today, the ECP announced that the report on preliminary delimitation, along with the corresponding lists (Form 5), has been made accessible to the public on the commission’s website. Additionally, maps detailing the initial delimitation are also available online.
The publication of the preliminary constituencies is set to continue for 30 days, from September 27 to October 26. During this period, voters in the respective constituencies have the opportunity to raise objections (representations) regarding the preliminary constituencies.
The ECP emphasized that these representations should be addressed to the commission’s secretary and submitted to the ECP Secretariat in Islamabad no later than October 27. The commission will review and make decisions on these representations from October 28 to November 26, after hearing input from the concerned parties.
In outlining the procedure for submitting representations, the commission specified that voters from the respective constituency must submit them in the form of a “memorandum,” including the voter’s signature. Additionally, eight copies of the representations and constituency maps are required for submission. It’s important to note that representations sent by courier, post, or fax will not be accepted.
The preliminary report of delimitation, available on Dawn.com, reveals that seat allocations in the national and provincial assemblies have been determined based on the final results of the 2023 census. The report explains that the population of each province or area was divided by the total number of general seats to calculate the average population per National Assembly seat. Similarly, the population of a province was divided by the total number of general seats allocated to the provincial assembly to determine a quota per seat.
In rounding the total number of seats, fractions of 0.5 and above were generally considered as one seat, while fractions below 0.5 were disregarded. Due to unique circumstances in Balochistan, multiple districts have been combined. Similar combinations have been made in other provinces where necessary.
This publication of preliminary delimitation lists and the subsequent objection process represent crucial steps in ensuring fair and transparent elections in Pakistan. Voters and stakeholders are encouraged to participate actively in this process to uphold the integrity of the electoral system.
