Islamabad (August 27, 2018): Election Commission of Pakistan has advised the contestants of the Presidential election to submit their nomination papers to presiding officers today.
The candidates can file their nomination papers with presiding officers in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta upto 12 noon.
Click Play Button To Watch This Video
The scrutiny of the papers will be carried out on Wednesday, whilst the candidates can withdraw their nomination papers until Thursday after which the final list will be made public on the same day.
The president is elected by an electoral college comprising members of the Senate, National Assembly and four provincial assemblies. Voting is held through a secret ballot.
The federal government has already summoned a joint session of Parliament on September 04, in connection with presidential elections.
Spokesperson for the National Assembly Secretariat said that the joint session of the parliament was convened for the presidential elections. He said the joint session will be kicked off at 10 am on September 04.
Click Play Button To Watch This Video
PTI’s Arif Alvi and PPP’s Aitzaz Ahsan will contest for the presidential elections.
MNAs and Senator will exercise their democratic right to elected the new president in the session, the spokesperson said and added that NA hall will be used as the polling station.
On August 18, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry confirmed through social media that PTI Chairman and newly elected Prime Minister Imran Khan had nominated Arif Alvi for President of Pakistan.
Incumbent President Mamnoon Hussain’s tenure ends on September 9. Alvi emerged victor from NA-247, Karachi constituency during the July 25 polls.
Click Play Button To Watch This Video
Meanwhile, political parties in the opposition remain divided over fielding a joint candidate for the presidential election, scheduled to take place on September 4.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which nominated Aitzaz Ahsan as its presidential candidate, is sticking to its choice and has rejected the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s objections.
Click Play Button To Watch This Video
A meeting of leaders of both parties, held in the Parliament lodges late Sunday evening, remained inconclusive, sources said. The PML-N delegation included Ahsan Iqbal, Marriyum Aurangzeb and others. Khursheed Shah, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Mustafa Nawaz represented PPP in the meeting.
PPP leader Khursheed Shah said that he is hopeful PML-N will make a positive decision after taking into consideration his party’s choice.
PML-N and PPP will have to resolve their differences and move forward together, he said, adding that PPP’s candidate for the presidency is the candidate of all of Pakistan.
Click Play Button To Watch This Video
JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman has agreed to support PPP. Fazl also asked PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif to show flexibility towards PPP nominee.
PML-N suggested that it would support PPP leader and former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani for the slot.
Earlier, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) appointed presiding officers and other polling staff for the presidential election, setting September 4 as the day of the polling.
President Hussain’s five-year term is set to expire on September 9. According to the Constitution, the presidential election must be held at least a month prior to the expiry of the incumbent’s term, which in this case would have been August 8.
Briefing ECP meeting, held with the chair of Election Commissioner Sardar Muhammad Raza, director elections Chaudhry Nadeem Qasim said that five polling stations have been set up for voting as all four provincial and entire parliament building declared polling stations.
He also mentioned that the presiding officers and polling staff have also been appointed as they have been trained how to proceed the presidential election.
“All the four provincial high courts and Islamabad High Court appointed as presiding officers while a thousand ballot papers have been printed,” he said.
The president is elected by an electoral college comprising members of the Senate, National Assembly and four provincial assemblies. Voting is held through a secret ballot.
Ordinarily, the presidential election is held either a month after the General Election, or at least a month before the expiry of the president’s tenure.
Related News:
