The Election Commission of Pakistan has established clear guidelines for submitting petitions requesting a recount of votes in the upcoming elections. These Standard Operating Procedures aim at streamlining the process and ensure transparency and fairness in addressing recount requests.
ECP Secretariat will be open on February 10 and 11, 2024, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM to receive recount petitions from applicants or candidates. Hearings will also be held on these dates.
Petitions must be submitted in 9 copies: one original and eight photocopies with complete details and date of filing.
A soft copy of the petition in PDF format along with any supporting documents in a USB drive must be attached to the application.
Petitioners must include their identity card copy, valid current address, and contact number in the application.
Complete details and address of the defendants (usually the winning candidate or party) must be provided. If an advocate is representing the petitioner, a letter of attorney, advocate’s card, and additional contact numbers are required. Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja has issued a directive to all returning officers, emphasizing the secure delivery of Form 45, a crucial document in election process.
The Chief Election Commissioner directed returning officers to ensure the delivery of Form 45, which records the vote count at each polling station.
The form will be handed over to the returning officer by the presiding officer.
Before handing over the form, the presiding officer must obtain signatures from themself and polling agents, ensuring transparency and verification of the recorded results. As an added transparency measure, the presiding officer will also display the completed Form 45 outside the polling station before submitting it.
After two deadly explosions in Balochistan, the security measures at the Election Commission Secretariat were significantly intensified, with all unauthorized access to the premises being strictly prohibited.
A thorough search operation, led by bomb disposal squad personnel, was conducted throughout the Election Commission building.
