Tag: elections

  • US places visa restrictions on Bangladeshis as conflict continues

    US places visa restrictions on Bangladeshis as conflict continues

    The US Department State has released a statement on Friday stating that the country will be imposing visa restrictions on “Bangladeshi individuals responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh”.

    In the statement, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the step is a reflection of America’s commitment to supporting “Bangladesh’s goal of peacefully holding free and fair national elections, and to support those seeking to advance democracy globally,”

    The people in question are members of law enforcement, the ruling party, and the political opposition including current and former Bangladeshi officials, members of opposition and ruling political parties, and members of law enforcement, the judiciary, and security services.

    Moreover, any other individual or personnel found “responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh may also be found ineligible for US visas under this policy in the future”

    “The United States is committed to supporting free and fair elections in Bangladesh that are carried out in a peaceful manner,” the statement read.

    Previously this year, in May, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the new visa policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) (“3C”) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to support Bangladesh’s goal of holding free, fair, and peaceful national elections.

    Under this policy, the US could restrict the issuance of visas for any Bangladeshi individual found guilty in tampering with the election results.

    The United States has said it will not release the names or numbers of people in Bangladesh subject to the visa restrictions.

    Reported by Dhaka Tribune, US Embassy Spokesperson Bryan Schiller told UNB that “Visa records are confidential under US law,” and so, the names or numbers of people will not be revealed.

    He further added that the imposition of the restriction has been done “After a careful review of the evidence”

    On the contrary, Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Md Shahriar Alam responded to the update stating that the government has “nothing to lose and that they are not worried about the visa restrictions issue, as they are doing nothing wrong”.

  • Elections Date; kis nay kia welcome, kaun jaye ga court?

    Elections Date; kis nay kia welcome, kaun jaye ga court?

    After the announcement of the timeframe of elections by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), major political parties in the former ruling alliance welcomed the development, hoping that it would dispel apprehensions about the political situation of the country.

    “The final list of constituencies will be published on November 30. After that, elections will be held in the last week of January 2024,” the commission said in a statement.

    Reacting to the development, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) viewed it as positive development while Awami National Party (ANP) demanded a specific date. However, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) decided to challenge the move in court.

    PTI

    After the announcement, PTI has decided to challenge the Commission’s decision to conduct elections in the last week of January.
    While talking to Geo News, PTI’s core committee member Niazullah Niazi said that the Constitution calls for elections within 90 days, and exceeding the period is unlawful.

    “We will challenge the Election Commission’s decision. The way the ECP is working it does not look like a constitutional institution,” Niazi said, adding that President Arif Alvi has the authority to announce a date for polls.

    PMLN

    Senior PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal stated that his party welcomed the decision by the ECP as it has ended uncertainty about delimitations.

    “Everyone knew from the first day that the election commission was bound to conduct delimitation after the census,” he said.

    “Earlier, the ECP had said to complete the delimitation process by December 15 after which the polls were estimated to be held in February next year. However, our party had given suggestions to the ECP to reduce the delimitation period. In the light of those suggestions, the ECP reduced the delimitation time till November 30 and then announced elections at the end of January after the 54-day period,” he added.

    He further added, “It is important that the elections are held peacefully, and a stable government is formed that takes the country out of the economic crisis.”

    PPP

    PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira stated that he could only give his own opinion on the matter but viewed the development as “positive”.
    The former federal minister said that uncertainty would end and things would hopefully move in a positive direction. “Let’s hope for the best.”

    ANP

    Meanwhile, the Awami National Party has urged the ECP to fix an exact date for the election.

    Senior ANP leader Zahid Khan said that his part has demanded that elections be held in 90 days and the party raised the same issue when they met Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.

    MQM

    MQM-P leader Mustafa Kamal told Geo news that they are satisfied with the development.

    However, he said it is yet to be seen whether the ECP would address the party’s concerns regarding the demarcation of constituencies after publishing an initial list of delimitation.

    The former Karachi mayor said his party would file a complaint if they found any problem with the delimitation process.

  • Elections in January, Election Commission confirms

    Elections in January, Election Commission confirms

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced on Thursday that the official schedule for the upcoming general elections in Pakistan has been determined. In an eagerly awaited declaration, the ECP confirmed that general elections are slated to take place in the last week of January 2024.

    The electoral body said the initial list of delimitations, which are being carried out in line with the new census, will be published on September 27.

    The ECP said it reviewed the progress on the delimitation process today and decided that the final list of constituencies will be published on November 30 after hearing objections and suggestions related to the delimitations. 

    Subsequently, polls will be held in the last week of January 2024 following the completion of the 54-day election schedule, the ECP statement added.

  • We are ready for the upcoming elections: Maulana Fazlur Rehman

    We are ready for the upcoming elections: Maulana Fazlur Rehman

    Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has stated on Tuesday that his party is prepared for the upcoming general election even if they are held tomorrow.

    He gave this statement while speaking on Hamid Mir’s program ‘Capital Talk’ on Geo News. Maulana’s statement comes one day after Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari took a jibe at his party’s former allies, saying that they are “running away” from the elections.
    “Conduct the elections tomorrow… we are ready for the polls even for tomorrow,” Maulana said.

    The President of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) also said that his party had consistently called for new elections during the three and half years of Imran Khan’s government, reminding Hamid Mir that his party didn’t accept the result of 2018 polls and that stakeholders in All-Parties Conference (APC) were also not happy about the results.

    “The APC agreed that the [2018] election results will not be accepted,” he said, adding that it meant that all political parties unanimously demanded new elections.

  • President Alvi has no power to announce the election date, says PM Kakar

    President Alvi has no power to announce the election date, says PM Kakar

    Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has said on Monday that President Arif Alvi has no right to announce a date for general elections as it is the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

    Multiple sources have told different media outlets that President Arif Alvi is set to announce the election date.

    Earlier in the day, during their second meeting in ten days, President Alvi had a discussion on the election schedule with the caretaker law minister.

    According to sources in the president’s house, the idea that President Alvi will choose a date for the upcoming general election is “wrong”, confirming that discussions on polls are still going on.

    However, PM Kakar said in an interview that, according to the law, ECP has the power to announce the election date.

    The caretaker PM further said that “We have no intention to prolong the tenure of the caretaker government.”

  • ‘I am not just hopeful, I am certain’: Kakar on elections

    ‘I am not just hopeful, I am certain’: Kakar on elections

    Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has confirmed that general elections will be held in the next three to four months, adding that polls are “certain”.

    To a question about his plan of action if the caretaker Prime Minister gets an extension, he told a local TV station that he could see the country going to polls in the next three to four months, The News reported on Wednesday.

    “I think within a few months… a few months can be translated into three, three-and-half or four…that needs to be seen…this will conclude and we will go to the electoral process,” he commented.

    On asking the same question on elections, he replied, “I am not just hopeful; rather, I am certain”.

    He stated that because of the short time, the caretaker government is giving priority to policy matters to make the journey of the future government smoother.

  • President Alvi wants elections in November

    President Alvi wants elections in November

    President Arif Alvi will likely defy the opinion of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the law ministry as he is reportedly contemplating announcing the date for the next general elections, sources familiar with the development have said, reported Kamran Yousaf for The Express Tribune.

    It is expected that the president will write another letter to the ECP, suggesting a date in November for the elections. The sources said that President Alvi was in conversation with his legal team and was advised that an act of parliament could not override the provisions of the Constitution and that parliament might have amended the Election Act 2017 but the Constitution was clear that polls would have to take place within 90 days.

    “Based on that opinion, the president will communicate the election date to the Election Commission soon,” a source revealed.

    Previously, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja decided that he would not meet President Dr. Arif Alvi for a discussion on fixing the date for the general elections. After a recent amendment to existing laws, fixing the date for the election is at the discretion of the ECP.

    The CEC called a meeting of the commission last week to talk to its members about the matter of fixing the date before taking a formal position. It is not the ECP’s responsibility, according to the law, to consult with the president on this matter. “The law is very clear about it. The President has cited the wrong article for this purpose.”

    Alvi had invited Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, for a meeting on August 23 or 24, to fix an appropriate date for holding the general elections.

  • Election Commission adamant about ensuring timely elections

    Election Commission adamant about ensuring timely elections

    After completing consultations with political parties, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday announced that the delimitation process will be finalised by November 30. 

    A statement issued by the electoral body said the purpose of reducing the duration of the delimitation process is to ensure elections are held as early as possible.

    The ECP also said that a date for the elections will also be announced keeping in view the schedule for the delimitation process, adding that the date was announced after deliberation with the parties. 

    A day earlier, the Election Commission said that polls would be held by mid-February at the most or by January end if the delimitation of constituencies is completed earlier. 

    The Election Commission has held consultations with political parties including Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Muttahida Qoumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Jamiat Ulema Islam-Faiz (JUI-F) and others regarding the road map to general elections. 

    On August 17, the ECP announced the schedule of new delimitations to be carried out as per the new census approved by the Council of Common Interest (CCI) last month. 

    According to the schedule, the new delimitation of the constituencies was expected to be completed in December. However, the date has now been shortened to November. 

    Earlier, the ECP schedule had shown that the fresh delimitation would take nearly four months. 

    Last month, the CCI meeting chaired by then-prime minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the final results of the 7th Population and Housing Census 2023 reporting the country’s population at 241.49 million with a growth rate of 2.55%.

    The CCI approval made it constitutionally mandatory for the ECP to hold elections following fresh delimitations in the light of the results of the 7th census.

    According to Article 51 (5) of the Constitution, the seats of the National Assembly to each province and the federal capital shall be allocated on the basis of population in accordance with the last preceding census officially published.

  • ECP will keep an eye on election campaigns and expenses

    ECP will keep an eye on election campaigns and expenses

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has said on Thursday that it will keep an eye on election campaigns and expenses in the upcoming general elections, stating that the decision has been taken after consultations with political parties.

    According to ECP, the services of the army, police, and other law enforcement agencies will be sought to ensure a safe and peaceful environment at polling stations.

    The electoral watchdog has said that this matter came up in the meeting about the upcoming general elections with Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) and Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam) PML(Q)

    Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, ECP secretary, and other senior officers were part of the meeting.

    The TLP’s delegation comprised of party leaders Chaudhry Rizwan, Mohammad Qasim, Ziaur Rahman, and Chaudhry Azhar, whereas the PML-Q was represented by Mohammad Tariq Hussain, Farukh Khan, Ghulam Mustafa, Rizwan Sadiq, and Hafiz Aqeel Jalil.

  • Elections to be held before mid-February: ECP

    Elections to be held before mid-February: ECP

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has assured the Awami National Party (ANP) that elections will be held by end of January or mid-February at the most, depending on the completion of delimitation of constituencies.

    According to Geo News, ECP met with representatives of ANP, Balochistan National Party (BNP) and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) to discuss the upcoming general election.

    According to ANP leaders, the commission assured them of speeding up the process of delimitation, telling them that elections will not be delayed beyond mid-February.

    In a statement released by the commission, ANP insisted on a date and schedule for the electoral exercise if elections were not being carrying out within 90 days. ANP believes that ECP should have consulted political parties before carrying out delimitation because under the constitution, the commission can not reduce or increase the seats given in the provinces.

    On the contrary, the BAP delegation supported the initiation of delimitation, stating that not going for delimitation as per the new census would be an insult to political parties, candidates and the public, reported Geo News.

    However, BNP representative Agha Hassan Baloch urged ECP to hold elections within 90 days. He highlighted that the new census seems to be faulty since the population of Balochistan has been reduced. “Therefore, our party believes that there is no use of new delimitation. If the election commission believes that delimitation is necessary, then the process should be corrected,” he said.

    While speaking to the media, Mian Iftikhar of the ANP said that the electoral body will complete delimitation of constituencies soon in order to hold general elections no later than mid-February.