ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has postponed the local government elections in the federal capital, originally scheduled for October 9, until further notice due to recent amendments to the relevant law.
A notification issued on Wednesday stated, “The ECP has decided to hold in abeyance the Election Program issued via its notification dated 20/8/2024 for the conduct of local government elections in Islamabad Capital Territory, until further orders.”
After both the National Assembly and Senate passed the bill on August 29, despite strong opposition resistance, President Asif Ali Zardari signed the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2024.
The government has increased the number of general seats in each union council (UC) from six to nine, while the reserved seats for women have risen from two to three, according to The News.
The amendment to Section 7 now mandates the electoral body to divide union councils into nine wards to elect members for general seats, instead of the previous six wards per union council. Moreover, Section 15 has been revised to allow voters in each union council to directly elect nine general members.
