ISLAMABAD: Setting aside misgivings about holding general elections as per schedule, the process of filing nomination papers will finally begin tomorrow (on Wednesday) after 144 district returning officers (DROs) and 859 returning officers (ROs) across the country take their oath today (Tuesday), to be followed by the issuance of public notices to formally invite nominations.

The Election Commi­ss­ion of Pakistan, meanwhile, has invited the attention of political parties towards Section 104 of the Elections Act, advising them to submit priority lists of their candidates on the seats reserved for wo­m­en and non-Muslims on or before Dec 22. Accor­ding to the timeline alre­ady notified by the ECP, all prospective electoral candidates can file their nomination papers bet­ween Dec 20 and Dec 22.

Section 104(1) reads “For the purpose of election to seats reserved for women and non-Muslims in an Assembly, the political parties contesting election for such seats shall, within the period fixed by the Commission for submission of nomination papers, file separate lists of their candidates in order of priority for seats reserved for women and non-Muslims with the Commission or, as it may direct, with the Provincial Election Commissioner or other authorised officer of the Commission, who shall forthwith cause such lists to be published for information of the public: Provided that the list submitted by a political party shall not be subject to change or alteration either in the order of priority or through addition of new names in the list or omission of any name after expiry of the date of submission of nomination papers”.

The parties’ lists may contain as many names of additional candidates as a political party may deem necessary for contesting seats reserved for women and non-Muslims, to provide for any disqualification of candidates during scrutiny of nomination papers or for filling of any vacant seats during the term of an assembly.

Explaining the oath-taking procedure, an ECP official said the provincial election commissioners would administer the oath to DROs, who would then administer the oath to each RO and assistant RO in their respective district. Similarly, he added, the ROs would administer the oath to each presiding officer under their jurisdiction; and the presiding officer would administer the oath to each member of polling staff under their jurisdiction before the commencement of poll, and the head of the law enforcement agency or an officer authorised by him would administer the oath to each official of that agency deputed in connection with an election duty.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2023