Islamabad [Pakistan], February 3 (ANI): The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has completed preparations for the general elections on February 8, Dawn reported citing Radio Pakistan. Dawn reported that more than 120 million registered voters are predicted to participate in the democratic process. The ECP has set up 90,675 polling stations across the country’s four provinces. There are 41,403 combined voting locations, 25,320 for male voters and 23,952 for female voters.
According to Dawn, a total of 5,121 candidates running for seats in the National Assembly (consisting of 4,807 men, 312 women, and 2 transgender candidates). There will be elections for 266 general NA seats and 593 general seats in the provincial assemblies. The forthcoming elections mark a pivotal moment in Pakistan‘s democratic journey, as citizens prepare to exercise their constitutional right to vote. The extensive preparations undertaken by the ECP underscore the commitment to ensuring a transparent and inclusive electoral process.
As the nation inches closer to February 8, all eyes remain fixed on the unfolding political scene , as candidates from various political parties compete for public support. Ahead of the February 8 general elections in the country, the ECP has convened a high-level meeting on February 1 to discuss the deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, Dawn newspaper reported.
The ECP in a statement issued on January 31, said: “Keeping in view the deteriorating law and order situation, the ECP has convened a meeting on February 1 where Interior Minister, Secretary Interior, Chief Secretaries and Inspectors General of KP and Balochistan and representatives of intelligence agencies have been invited.”
In a separate statement, an ECP spokesman said the commission has also taken notice of a firing incident on a political party’s caravan, resulting in the killing of one person, and a grenade attack outside the house of Buledi, a candidate from PB-25 in Kech district. Though the ECP earlier dismissed the calls for putting off general elections over security concerns, many believe that the watchdog was setting the scene to postpone polls in KP and Balochistan. (ANI)
Pakistan: Election Commission conducts mock test of EMS to be used for general elections
Islamabad [Pakistan], February 4 (ANI): The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Saturday conducted another mock test of the Election Management System (EMS) to be used for the upcoming February 8 general elections, Dawn reported. The ECP described the trial as successful.
The election body said that the system designed for tabulation and compilation of election results successfully completed all the required steps and goals. As per ECP spokesman Syed Nadeem Haider, returning officers from 859 constituencies across the country participated in the experimental exercise of EMS, and the system’s eligibility was tested both online and offline and was found to be satisfactory in all respects.
He explained that the main purpose of EMS was the tabulation and compilation of election results and it would be used on polling day, according to Dawn. “This system works at the same speed and efficiency in both online and offline modes,” Haider said. The ECP recently concluded the training of nearly 1.49 million election staff to guarantee the smooth conduct of the forthcoming general elections, which are slated to take place on February 8, according to ARY News.
In a statement, the ECP spokesperson stated that the training sessions ensured that all electoral staff could carry out their obligations competently and professionally in the future general elections in 2024.
According to the commission’s spokeswoman, a total of 27,676 sessions were held in distant places around the country over 87 days, with 3,821 master trainers involved in thorough election worker training, reported ARY News. The training sessions began on November 19, 2023, and ended on the evening of February 3, 2024.
The participants in these courses were 144 District Returning Officers (DROs), 859 Returning Officers (ROs), and polling personnel. (ANI)
