Islamabad LG polls postponed, MCI abolished, town corporations introduced

ISLAMABAD: Local government (LG) elections in Islamabad have been deferred once again after the president issued a new ordinance abolishing the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad.

The president has promulgated the ordinance amending the Islamabad Local Government Act relating to the establishment of local government in Islamabad. Under the ordinance, the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) has been abolished and replaced with Town Corporations.

Under the new ordinance, Islamabad will be divided into three Town Corporations based on the capital’s three National Assembly constituencies.

Each Town Corporation will have as many Union Councils as notified by the federal government.

The government will amend the boundaries of Town Corporations and Union Councils after hearing public objections and recommendations, although no boundary changes will be allowed once the election schedule is announced.

The ordinance clarifies that “local government” will mean Union Councils and Town Corporations. Where no local government is in place, the government will appoint an administrator. The head of a Town Corporation will be its mayor, while a Union Council will be headed by a chairman.

Under the administrative structure, each Town Corporation will have one mayor and two deputy mayors, while Union Council chairmen will serve as general members of the Town Corporation.

In addition, each Town Corporation will include four women, one farmer or worker, one trader or businessman, one youth and one non-Muslim member.

At the Union Council level, general members will be elected through a secret ballot, with each Union Council treated as a multi-member ward. Each voter will cast one vote for a general member candidate, and the nine candidates securing the highest number of votes will be elected as general members.

Successful candidates will be allowed to join any political party within 30 days. General members will elect members for reserved seats by show of hands, while both general and reserved members together will elect the chairman and vice-chairman, also by show of hands.

The chairman and vice-chairman will also be able to join a political party within 30 days of their election. The Union Council chairman will be a general member of the Town Corporation.

At the Town Corporation level, general members will elect members for reserved seats by show of hands, while all members of the Town Corporation will jointly elect the mayor and deputy mayors by a majority vote. Under the ordinance, only a Town Corporation member will be eligible to contest for mayor or deputy mayor.

On electoral matters, the Election Commission of Pakistan will delimit Union Councils, while the government, on the recommendation of the Interior Ministry, will be able to increase or decrease the number of Union Councils within a Town Corporation.

Under the financial provisions, the local government or administrator will be empowered to impose taxes, fees, rents, tolls and other charges, although every proposed tax will require prior approval from the government. Taxes proposed by an administrator will be submitted to the National Assembly after government approval. The local government or administrator will also have the authority to increase, reduce, abolish or exempt taxes.

The ordinance further authorises the government to issue directions to the local government or administrator, which they will be bound to follow.