Elections for the vacant seat of Islamabad’s mayor will be held today (Monday). The polling process will take place from 9 am to 5 pm without any breaks. The offices located in the building which have been declared as polling station will remain closed today.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued the list of candidates for polling which will be held at the office of the Municipal Corporation of Islamabad (MCI) in the building of the old Naval Headquarters.
There will be a contest for the slot among three candidates. Peer Adil Shah from PML-N, PTI’s Malik Sajid Mehmood, and Syed Zaheer Shah — an independent candidate, will face off against one another.
Please follow @MSajid54 (Malik Sajid Mahmood), he is PTI’s candidate for Mayor of Islamabad. https://t.co/0bwCkYntAf
— PTI (@PTIofficial) December 25, 2020
The PML-N candidate enjoys a clear majority over his two rivals. The party has 48 members (voters) against the 25 members of the PTI.
The Electoral College for the election of Mayor Islamabad comprises 80 votes, for which 50 Union Council chairpersons, and three deputy mayors are the voters. Seventeen officials on special seats are also a part of the voters list for the mayor’s election.
The mayor’s seat fell vacant following the resignation of Shaikh Ansar, who belongs to PML-N.
The PML-N local leadership wanted to award the party ticket to deputy mayor Chaudhry Riffat Javed, who is a close relative of former minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry. However, the Election Commission ruled that deputy mayors could not contest the election of mayor.
IHC dismissed petition seeking postponement of elections
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on the last Monday dismissed petitions filed by three deputy mayors, seeking to stop the election. The deputy mayors were aspirants for the post but were barred from the election process under the local government law.
IHC Justice Aamer Farooq rejected the petition, saying deputy mayors could not contest the election. However, they can cast vote, the judgment said.
Justice Farooq remarked that there were weaknesses in the local body system. How could the court rectify it? Most powerful people are living in the federal capital but the city is still ignored, he said. The bench remarked that there should be a new model and separate assembly for Islamabad.
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The chief commissioner is running the affairs of the city and he has been given three posts, Justice Farooq observed, and expressed concern over the Capital Development Authority’s role in this regard.
The court remarked that the cleanliness of the city was started after several years, adding posh areas were still in a bad condition. Justice Farooq had reserved the judgment on Friday which was released on Monday.