Election Act Amendment Bill 2024 passes by majority vote

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly has approved, with majority vote, a bill proposing additional amendments to the Election Act of 2017, which governs the conduct of elections.

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Following a recommendation from the law minister, the bill was submitted to the assembly’s committee for further consideration.

The bill’s statement of objectives notes, “Neither the Constitution nor the Election Act, 2017 provides for joining a political party by an independent returned candidate or candidates at a subsequent stage when they have already exercised the option to join the political party at a point of time specified in the Constitution.”

The bill, introduced by ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) member Bilal Azhar Kayani, seeks to address these issues.

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The bill stipulates that a candidate will be classified as an independent rather than a party candidate if they fail to submit a declaration to the returning officer before the election symbol is allocated. This declaration must include a certificate from the political party confirming their affiliation.