MARDAN: Elected Mardan city mayor and Local Council Association provincial president Himayatullah Mayar has formally requested the Election Commission of Pakistan to ensure the early swearing in of the candidates, who won in the first phase of local body elections in 17 districts.

In an application, Mr Mayar said the first phase of LG polls were held on Dec 19, 2021, while the returned candidates were notified by the ECP on Feb 9, 2022.

He said the law set the term of a local council’s office at four years from the day it held its first meeting.

The mayor said the local council’s first meeting was bound by the law to be held within 15 days of the notification of its members.

“Rule 78(1) of the election law explains the mode of oath of office by the returned candidates. It says that subject to the provisions of the Act and the directions given by the Commission the District Returning Office shall notify schedule for administration of oath in Schedule 2 to the mayor or chairman and members of the village and neighbourhood councils and make arrangements in this regard,” he said.

Mr Mayar said under the rule, the oath would be taken by members in the first meeting of the council, but it had yet to be followed.

He said the local body election winners were ‘in a fix’ as they had yet to assume their respective offices, they were not in a position to explain ‘their status of responsibility and authority’ when the people approached them for different services.

The mayor sought the ECP’s orders for the district returning officers to ensure the early swearing in of the local body poll winners from 17 districts of the province.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2022