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Wednesday, November 20, 2013ECP rejects Sindh govt’s plea to delay LG polls
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected the Sindh government’s request to delay local government (LG) elections in the province, according to reports on Tuesday. The ECP had earlier announced that elections in Sindh and Punjab would be held on January 18 and January 30, respectively. The Sindh government then requested for elections to be postponed until March or at least until January 30, the date for local bodies polls in Punjab. Following the request of provincial government, the ECP held a meeting and rejected the request after reviewing the overall situation. It also turned down similar requests for a delay by representatives from other provincial governments at the meeting. ECP Director General Sher Afgan told the media that according to the new schedule, the final list of candidates will be issued on December 26 and objections can be filed until January 14. Nomination papers will be verified between December 15 and 19 according to the new schedule and appeals against these can be filed between December 20 and 21. Afgan said that the commission had allowed the provincial governments eight days (between November 20 and 28) to carry out final touches on their respective local government laws. He further stated that the Pakistan Printing Press had been instructed to arrange as many as seven million nomination forms until December 9. According to Afgan, the Sindh government would have 18 days to arrange ballot papers for the elections. online
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk