Elections 2013: Election campaign ends
The election campaign of the political parties for the upcoming polls has been ended.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – The election campaign for the upcoming general elections has ended at 12:00midnight. Almost all major political parties across Pakistan have held last-minute rallies ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections.
The voters will choose their representatives through ballot on May 11 and it would be the 8th general elections of the country since its inception.
Sources said that PPPP, PTI, PML-N, PML-F, MQM, ANP, BNP, JI, JUI-F, JUI-S and JUI-N have fielded some 10,000 candidates for the upcoming elections while hundreds of independent candidates are also contesting the polls throughout the country.
Army along with police and semi-military contingents has chalked out tight security plans for elections and thousands of cops have been deployed throughout the country.
Sources said that deployment of army on most sensitive polling stations has been unanimously decided.
People will use their right to vote for choosing 272 members of National Assembly, 297 for Punjab, 130 for Sindh, 99 for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 51 for Balochistan assemblies.
Polling would continue from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm without any break.
Moreover, masses would be provided electronic chit first time in the history of the country and after identification through this device with the help of their identity cards, the voters would be given ballot papers.
Separate ballot papers and boxes are being prepared for national and provincial assemblies.
Retuning Officers (ROs), District Returning Officers (DROs) and Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) will enjoy the powers of first class magistrate and in case of any irregularity; these magistrates will announce immediate punishment for outlaws after the hearing.
The total number of voters in the country is 86,100,000; half are the youngsters.
