ISLAMABAD: All political parties taking part in the next general elections in 2024 must make sure that there is at least 5% representation of female candidates for general seats, according to an order released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The Election Commission underlined in a statement issued on Sunday that political parties that have been assigned electoral emblems have to abide by the requirements stated in Section 206 of the Elections Act, 2017.
There could be repercussions if the 5% representation criterion is not met, as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was recently told when they lost their election symbol.
The announcement follows the election symbol allocation process, which concluded on Saturday, the last day for parties to obtain their insignia. Notably, PTI suffered consequences for not providing the required representation, which should serve as a stark warning to other political organizations.
Yesterday was a busy day for the top electoral organization as they wrapped off the important process of assigning electoral insignia to the political parties who have registered.
The struggling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which is fervently attempting to reclaim its iconic “bat” emblem, is facing a pending ruling from the Supreme Court, which has caused the institution to repeatedly prolong the deadline for symbol allocation.
Following a full day of hearings, a three-judge panel led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and consisting of Justices Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Musarrat Hilali announced their unanimous decision.
Only a few days before the general elections, the top court ruled that the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) January 10 decree was “null and void,” depriving the erstwhile ruling party of its “iconic” political symbol—the bat.
Any political party that wants to win elections needs to have an electoral symbol so that people know who to vote for on election day. Since the PTI currently lacks a united symbol, this could cause uncertainty among the public and cost it votes.
The electoral body completed the process of allocating symbols late on Saturday night in response to the judgment, allowing it to move on to the next round of the upcoming elections.
According to plan, the next stage would provide more clarity over which of their final contenders would participate in the pivotal election.
The general elections are scheduled for the next month’s eighth.
