Elections: Acquisition and submission of nomination papers begin

ISLAMABAD: The acquisition and submission of nomination papers for candidates intending to participate in the national and provincial assembly seats in the upcoming 2024 general elections commenced on Wednesday and will continue until Friday (December 22).

According to the schedule issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan, candidates interested in contesting elections can obtain and submit their nomination papers from 8:30am to 4:30pm until December 22.

The initial list of candidates is set to be released on December 23, with the scrutiny of nomination papers scheduled to take place from December 24 to December 30. Electoral symbols will be assigned to candidates on January 13, and the general elections are scheduled to be held on February 8, the official news agency reported.

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 are required to 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.