Appointment of new Chief Election Commissioner, members delayed
Pakistan
A parliamentary committee for the appointments has not been formed yet
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The appointment of the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two members has been delayed, as the constitutional 45-day deadline has passed without any progress from the government.
Despite the National Assembly Speaker’s announcement, a parliamentary committee for the appointments has not been formed. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has begun consultations on approaching the court over the delay.
According to constitutional procedure, the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader must consult on the appointments. If they reach an agreement, the proposed names will be sent to the parliamentary committee for approval. In case of disagreement, three names for each position will be forwarded to the committee for selection.
The parliamentary committee consists of 12 members—six from the government and six from the opposition. It is expected to include three members from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), two from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and one from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). Meanwhile, PTI will have five members, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) will have one.
As per Article 215(4) of the Constitution, the 45-day deadline for completing the appointments expired on March 12. The eligibility criteria for the CEC include a retired Supreme Court judge, a retired bureaucrat, or a technocrat under 68 years of age. For Election Commission members, the candidates must be retired high court judges, retired bureaucrats, or technocrats under 65.
The terms of former CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja, Sindh member Nisar Durrani, and Balochistan member Shah Muhammad Jatoi ended on January 26 after completing their five-year tenure. Under the 26th constitutional amendment, the current Election Commission continues to function until new appointments are finalised.
