Pakistan's General Elections Delayed as Election Commission Implements Fresh Delimitation Process Amid Ongoing Economic Crisis

Pakistan's Election Commission has announced a fresh delimitation of constituencies, leading to a delay in the general elections. The decision was made in light of the new census data, which is set to guide the redrawing of electoral districts.

This development comes after the dissolution of Parliament and the appointment of an 18-member caretaker Cabinet. The cabinet consists of professionals and non-political figures, who will oversee the country until the general elections take place.

The five-year term of the lower house of Parliament was scheduled to end on August 12, but the National Assembly was dissolved earlier to allow for the requisite 90-day period before elections.

The Election Commission has set a deadline of December 14 for the completion of the delimitation process, which exceeds the 90-day window for holding polls after the dissolution of the assembly.

The process of delimitation is in accordance with the official results of the 7th population and Housing Census-2023, as mandated by Article 51 of the Constitution and Section 17(2) of the Election Act of 2017.

This marks the first digital census in Pakistan, and once the census data was officially released, the Election Commission had to initiate the delimitation procedure. While the upcoming elections were supposed to take place before November 9, the current circumstances may lead to a delay of a couple of months, allowing the Election Commission to complete the entire process leading up to polling.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time elections have been delayed in Pakistan, as similar delays occurred in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces earlier this year. This announcement comes against the backdrop of Pakistan's ongoing economic crisis.

The government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently reached a staff-level agreement to inject a USD 3 billion Standby Arrangement (SBA) into the ailing economy.

Months of negotiations pushed the country to the brink of default, prompting the need for financial assistance. With the general elections now delayed, Pakistan will have to navigate economic challenges while ensuring a fair and transparent electoral process during this period of transition.