ISLAMABAD, Nov 27: The Election Commission had started scrutiny of 12,000 nomination papers filed for 342 National Assembly and 728 provincial assemblies’ seats across the country, Election Commission Secretary Kanwar Mohammad Dilshad told Dawn on Tuesday. The process will continue till Dec 3.
He said that appeals challenging the decisions of returning officers on rejection or acceptance would be decided by election tribunal of high courts by Dec 14.
Candidates could withdraw their papers till Dec 15 and a revised list would be published on Dec 16, he said.
He said the situation would be different in Swat, Shangla and North Waziristan where the Election Commission had extended the last date for filing the nomination papers till Dec 6. He, however, said that elections in these areas would also be held on the same day – Jan 8.
Candidates intending to contest elections from PF-80, PF-81, PF-83 PF-84, PF-85, PF-86, NA-29 and NA-30 in Swat district, PF-87, PF-88, and NA-31 in Shangla, NA-40 in North Waziristan and NA-37 and NA-38 in Kurram Agency could file their papers by Dec 6.
He said according to the new election schedule for these areas, scrutiny of nomination papers would be held on Dec 7 and 8 while appeals against the nomination papers could be filed by Dec 12. Decisions on these appeals would be announced on Dec 14. The last date of withdrawal of nomination papers was Dec 15 and a final list of candidates would be issued on Dec 16, he said.
He held out an assurance that polls would be fair and said that 430,000 transparent ballot boxes had been imported from China for the purpose. He said 350,000 ballot boxes had already arrived and the remaining would reach by Dec 8. He said more than 300,000 voting screens would be set up in polling stations across the country to enable the people to cast their votes in a completely secure and congenial environment.
He said there would be 250 polling stations in each constituency and election results would be announced in each polling station. A copy of the poll results would be given to all contesting candidates. Besides, one copy of the results would be displayed at the main gate of each polling station.
He said that 75,000 presiding officers and 550,000 polling personnel would be trained under an international standard training programme in cooperation with the UNDP and their training would be completed in the second week of December.
He said the Election Commission would provide maximum facilities to international observers to monitor the whole electoral process, adding that experts from International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES) having offices in 138 countries and working on electoral system had already come to monitor the pre-election preparations.
