General election: ECP to get funds in instalments

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to release funds in instalments for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for conducting the upcoming general election.

According to Geo News, sources in the finance ministry said that the ECP had sought the release of funds in a lump sum but the government turned down the proposal.

The sources said that the government has decided to release funds in phases in accordance with the ECP’s requirements.

The sources said that the ECP would approach the finance ministry for the release of funds as and when they were required.

The sources said that a total of Rs42.42 billion would be provided to the ECP for conducting the general election.

In the first phase, Rs10 billion would be released, which had already been approved in the outgoing fiscal year.

Last year, Rs15 billion were approved for the ECP and of which, Rs5 billion were released, and the Election Commission spent Rs4.47 billion. The remaining Rs53 million were returned to the finance ministry.

It should be noted that the ECP had demanded Rs47.42 billion for the general election.

The upcoming general election in Pakistan is expected to be a close contest between three major parties: the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf led by Imran Khan, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Pakistan People’s Party led by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Read more: 126,066,874 Pakistanis will cast vote in the upcoming general elections

The election will be held less than 60 days after the dissolution of the National Assembly, which is set to dissolve on 13 August 2023 upon completing its five-year term, unless dissolved earlier, in which case the election will be held within 90 days after dissolution according to the constitution.

The election will also be based on the results of the 2023 census, which was completed in September 2023 after several delays.

The census will determine the allocation of seats and resources among provinces and districts.