Observer Report
Islamabad
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday cleared the air over holding early Senate elections. The ECP said that it has the authority to hold the polls on 52 seats of the upper house of the Parliament between February 11 to March 11, 2021.
“A law defining procedure of the Senate polls is already present,” the election commission said adding that the ECP has 30 days to hold the elections on the seats of retiring Senators.
Half of the Senators in the upper house will retire by March 11, 2020 after completing their six-year tenure and an election for the slot of Chairman and Deputy Chairman Senate would be held on March 12.
The chairman and deputy chairman would take oath of their responsibilities on the same day.
Meanwhile, addressing the media, senior PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah in Lahore on Friday warned the government of legal action if early elections for the Senate are called.
He said it would be unconstitutional if Senate elections are held before February 11. “If the schedule for the Senate election is released before February 11, we will approach the court.” When asked whether the court would take up the issue, Sanaullah responded: “When such a time comes, the entire opposition will decide together.”
