ISLAMABAD, Oct 16: The Election Commission on Wednesday said it was not publishing the election results in the official gazette because the law provided that unless the returned members did not submit the returns of their election expenses, their names could not be notified.

An EC announcement said the results of the returned candidates used to be published by the EC immediately after the receipt of the consolidated results from the returning officers.

It said in the last general elections there was a gap of three days between the national and provincial assemblies’ elections. The same was the case in 1977, 1985, 1988 and 1990.

In the 1970 general elections, there was a ten-day gap. Although the recent elections were held on the same day, yet the entire work of the announcement of preliminary results and consolidation of results had been completed in a record time, the EC claimed.

“The final results are ready with the Election Commission for publication in the Gazette of Pakistan. However, these results cannot be published until the election expenses returns are filed by the returned candidates within 10 days of the date of poll as per requirement of the proviso appearing below sub-section (4) of section 42 of the Representation of the People Act, 1976,”

It said the relevant section reads as: “Provided that the result of a returned candidate shall not be published who fails to submit the return of expenses specified in sub-section (3A)”.

It said if the above mentioned proviso had not been on the statute book, the results would have been notified as soon those were consolidated by the concerned returning officers and relevant documents were received in the EC of Pakistan.