Election Commission of Pakistan Sets General Election Date for January 2024 After Political Turmoil and Census Delay

The Election Commission of Pakistan has announced that general elections will be held in the last week of January 2024, after being pushed back due to the early exit of the Shehbaz Sharif government and a subsequent census. The preliminary list of constituencies will be published on September 27, with the final list to be released on November 30 following complaints and comments. The elections will be scheduled for a 54-day period, with voting taking place in the final week of January 2024. The decision to delay the elections was a result of the Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition stepping down before completing its tenure, leading to a caretaker government being installed in August this year.

The previous government had also announced that the elections could only take place after a new census was completed and new constituency boundaries were drawn. However, concerns arose that the delimitation process would take around four months to complete, further delaying the polls. Amid mounting pressure from political parties, the Election Commission decided to shorten the timeframe of the delimitation to ensure timely elections.

According to the Constitution, the delimitation process should be completed within 120 days. The general elections will take place in the midst of a political crisis, with former Prime Minister Imran Khan imprisoned and a major crackdown waged against his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has affirmed the interim government's commitment to upholding the democratic process and ensuring that the elections are not further delayed.

The announcement of the election date comes after Pakistan has been experiencing political unrest since the removal of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in April 2022. The country is also in the process of redrawing its electoral boundaries. The Election Commission has completed its review of the constituency delimitation process and will release the initial list on September 27. After considering objections and suggestions, the final list will be issued on November 30.