ISLAMABAD, Dec 7: Draw to retire 50 per cent of senators from the 100-seat upper house will be held in the first week of January while by-election to fill the vacant posts will be arranged by the Election Commission of Pakistan in February. Acting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar told Dawn on Wednesday that it was a constitutional requirement to retire half of the members on March 11, 2006, on completion three-year term.

By-election to fill the vacant seats will be held 45 days after the draw of lots, the acting CEC said, adding that the balloting process would be held in the presence of senators or their representatives and the media.

“All the members of the Senate are sailing in same boat as it is all by the stroke of luck and nobody knows about their fate except two members from Islamabad,” Justice Dogar observed, adding that similar balloting was held in 1975 and 1988.

He said election of naib nazims at district, tehsil and town levels would be held simultaneously in all the districts of the four provinces on Dec 20 or 23.

Justifying the method of “show of hands” for the elections of the naib nazim, Justice Dogar said it was necessary to discourage horse-trading and buying of loyalties by influential candidates in the local government elections.

About electoral rolls for general elections, he admitted that it was defective and that the Election Commission had decided to update and computerize these rolls which would also be available on the commission’s website.

The commission, he said, had received complaints about discrepancies in the electoral rolls.