ECP extends deadline for submission of nomination papers

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has extended the deadline for submitting nomination papers by two days, allowing submissions until Sunday (December 24).

According to the revised schedule issued by the Election Commission, candidates interested in contesting elections can obtain and submit their nomination papers from 8:30am to 4:30pm until Sunday.

Read more: Elections: Acquisition And Submission Of Nomination Papers Begin

The initial list of candidates is set to be released on December 24, with the scrutiny of nomination papers scheduled for December 25 to 30. The last date for filing appeals against the returning officers’ decisions on rejecting or accepting nomination papers will be January 3 and the final date for deciding the appeals of candidates by an appellate tribunal will be January 10. The revised list of candidates will be published on January 11 and the last date for withdrawing one’s candidature is January 12. The revised list of candidates will also be published on January 12, the official news agency reported.

Electoral symbols will be assigned to candidates on January 13, and the general elections are scheduled to be held on February 8.

The cost for acquiring the nomination papers is set at Rs100. Each candidate is allowed to submit a maximum of five nomination papers, each with different endorsers.

For those contesting a National Assembly seat, the non-refundable fee is Rs30,000. Meanwhile, candidates vying for a provincial assembly seat must pay a non-refundable fee of Rs20,000.

Candidates must attach their income tax return documents from the past three years along with their nomination papers. The fundamental eligibility criteria for candidates include being a citizen of Pakistan and being at least 25 years old.

As per the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), individuals contesting National Assembly seats must be registered voters in any location within Pakistan.

To vie for a seat in the provincial assembly, the candidate is required to be a voter of the respective province. The nomination papers must include an attested copy of the identity card and vote certificate of both the candidate recommender and endorser.

Additionally, a copy of the passport on behalf of the candidate should be attached to the nomination papers. The nomination fee is to be deposited by the candidate directly to the returning officer (RO) or through a bank draft.

Failure to comply with Articles 62 and 63 will result in the disqualification of a candidate. Additionally, the proposer for general seats must be a voter from the relevant constituency.

For women and non-Muslim seats in the national and provincial assembly, both the proposers and seconders must be voters of the respective province. However, nominators and supporters of candidates for non-Muslim seats in the assembly can be voters from any part of Pakistan.

Meanwhile, candidates violating the code of conduct by placing extensive advertising hoardings nationwide will face strict action, the Election Commission of Pakistan warned on Friday.

An ECP spokesman directed candidates with illegal hoardings to remove them by Sunday (December 24), or face action as per the code of conduct.

He said the Election Commission’s monitoring teams have noted that some candidates are violating the code of conduct by erecting large advertising hoardings across the country.