ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to convene next session of the Senate in between the president’s address to a joint sitting of parliament and presentation of the federal budget next month to ensure the presence of maximum number of members to get the 22nd Constitution Amendment Bill passed from the upper house, according to sources.

The bill seeking to change the eligibility criteria for the chief election commissioner (CEC) and four members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was on the agenda of the Senate on Friday, the last day of the previous session. But the government did not move the bill because it did not have the required two-thirds majority in the house.

The bill has been passed by the National Assembly with a two-thirds majority.

Sources told Dawn that a summary had been prepared by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs to be sent to the Presidency for convening a Senate session on June 2, a day before the presentation of the federal budget for the next fiscal year, 2016-17.

The joint sitting of the parliament will be held on June 2 for the president’s mandatory address. President Mamnoon Hussain has already summoned the National Assembly session on June 3 for presentation of the federal budget by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

The presence of at least 70 senators is required in the 104-member Senate for passage of a constitution amendment bill. Since there has been a consensus amongst all government and opposition parties on the bill, there seems to be no apparent problem for the government in getting the bill passed from the upper house.

If the bill is passed by the Senate on June 2 and gets the president’s assent on the same day, the government and the opposition parties will have only eight days for finalising the names of new ECP members as the incumbent members are set to retire on June 10.

After passage of the bill, besides serving or retired judges of the superior courts, government officials will also become eligible for appointment as the CEC and the ECP members.

At present, only serving or retired judges of the Supreme Court or a high court are eligible to be appointed as the CEC and ECP members.

The bill has also set age limits of 68 years for the CEC and 65 years for ECP members. Also, two of the four ECP members will have to retire after completion of half of their five-year terms through a draw whereas the remaining two will complete their terms and then the cycle will continue like that of the Senate elections.

The present ECP members remained in the spotlight amid allegations by the opposition parties about rigging in the 2013 general elections. After voluntary resignation by the then CEC, Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim, the opposition parties had called for resignation of the ECP members as well, but they refused to do so.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2016