After failing to meet the legal deadline and missing the timeline it set for itself, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued the final polling scheme for the Feb 8 general elections.

Section 59(6) of the Elections Act 2017 requires the publication of the final list of polling stations of each constituency, at least 30 days before polling day, in the official gazette as well as the website of the ECP.

The ECP, however, had announced it would publish the polling scheme 15 days before polling day, another deadline that could not be met.

When contacted by Dawn, a senior ECP official agreed that there were other reasons behind the legal requirement of placing the polling scheme on ECP’s website 30 days before polling day, in addition to ensuring transparency in the processes leading to elections.

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