ECP reserves decision on Punjab’s request to hold LG polls after January 20

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday reserved its decision on the Punjab government’s request to hold local government elections after January 20, 2027, instead of the previously agreed window of December 15, 2026, to January 15, 2027.

The request was made during a hearing before a four-member ECP bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja. Punjab Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq, the provincial chief secretary and the local government secretary appeared before the commission.

The chief secretary told the bench that the provincial government needed two months to complete preparations and asked the ECP to set a date after January 20.

He said December was particularly difficult for election arrangements because of dense fog in Punjab, including Lahore. The cold weather also meant shorter days and could discourage voters from turning out, he added.

The chief secretary said conditions improved after January 20 and that April would be more suitable for the polls because of longer daylight hours and school holidays. He acknowledged, however, that the government had reconsidered its earlier position and had no objection to holding elections in January or February.

Earlier election timeline

Raja recalled that the Punjab government had previously proposed holding the elections between December 15 and January 15. The ECP and a provincial cabinet committee had agreed in principle to that window at a meeting on August 20.

The chief election commissioner said the commission would consider the request for a date after January 20 and announce its decision on the election schedule accordingly.

During the exchange, Raja also remarked to the chief secretary: “But you are celebrating Basant anyway.”

What’s the issue?

Punjab has not held local government elections since 2015. Polling in the last local government elections was held in phases between October and December that year, with the final phase taking place on December 5.

The elected councils assumed office in 2017 and completed their term on December 31, 2021, after the Supreme Court restored them following their dissolution by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in April 2019. Subsequent changes to provincial local government laws and delays in election preparations have prolonged the gap.

Under Article 140A of the Constitution, local governments are to be established through elections. The ECP had earlier said it was bound under the Elections Act to hold local government elections within 120 days of the expiry of a local government’s term.