The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) warned that Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) may be declared ineligible for the election symbol if it fails to conduct intra-party polls within the stipulated timeframe.
The commission has issued a notice to the PTI chairman requiring his presence on August 4 (Friday) at 10 am. Failure to appear may lead to the political party being deemed ineligible to obtain an election symbol for future elections under Section 215 (5) of the Elections Act, 2017.
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The ECP reminded the PTI about its intra-party polls due on June 13, 2021, as per its constitution. Despite being notified to conduct the polls within the specified timeframe, the PTI didn’t provide the required certificate, as required by the Elections Act, 2017.
In May of the previous year, the polls organizing authority issued a final notice to the PTI, directing them to conduct intra-party elections on or before the extended date of 13.06.2022. The notice explicitly stated that no further extension would be granted.
The ECP referred to Section 209(1) of the Election Act, which requires every registered political party to provide the ECP with a certificate regarding the conduct of intra-party elections as mandated by the law.
Failure to comply with this provision could result in the ECP declaring the party ineligible to obtain an election symbol.
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Last month, the ECP instructed political parties to submit their applications for election symbol allotment ahead of the upcoming general polls scheduled for later this year. Along with the applications, parties were asked to attach a list of preferred symbols, with the party leader’s signature being mandatory. The application must also include the address of the political party’s head office. The ECP will assess the parties’ eligibility after receiving the applications.
In 2018, the PTI was allotted a ‘bat’ symbol to contest the general elections.
