What is Elections Act, 2017 passed by the Parliament of Pakistan?
Islamabad, Pakistan: Elections Act, 2017 signed by President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussian ensured that delimitation of constituencies shall be conducted four months before general elections 2018 under population census 2017.
News constituencies will be formed and seats for National as well as for provincial assemblies will increase after new delimitation process.
This Act will help to maintain supremacy of Parliament over other state institutions, believe political eperts.
Parliament is supreme……………….civil supremacy is must……………democracy must deliver to common man …….
— Iftikhar Ahmad (@jawabdeyh) October 2, 2017
“Elections Act, 2017” bill passed by both the houses of Parliament will encourage participation of women in election process of Pakistan and now votes cast by men and women will be counted separately.
Chapter III of the Elections Act, 2017 deals with Delimitation of Constituencies.
Clause 1 of Chapter III says that Election Commission shall delimit territorial constituencies for elections to the National Assembly, each Provincial Assembly and to the local governments in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, this Act, the Rules and the applicable local government law.
Clause 2 of Chapter III indicates that the Election Commission shall delimit constituencies after every census officially published.
Clause 5 indicates that the constituencies for the seats reserved for women and non-Muslims in the Provincial Assemblies shall be such that each Province forms one constituency with as many such seats as are allocated to that Province in Article 106.
Clause 6 of Chapter III indicates that the local governments, the Election Commission shall carry out delimitation with due regard to the applicable local government law and all constituencies for general seats shall, as far as practicable, be delimited having regard to the distribution of population in geographically compact areas, physical features, existing boundaries of administrative units, facilities of communication and public convenience and other cognate factors to ensure homogeneity in the creation of constituencies. For the purpose of delimiting constituencies for the general seats of the National Assembly for the Tribal Areas two or more separate areas may be grouped into one constituency.
For the purpose of delimiting constituencies, the Commission may receive and consider representations, hold inquiries, summon witnesses and record evidence, and shall prepare and publish in the official Gazette a preliminary report and list of constituencies specifying the areas proposed to be included in each constituency. The Commission shall invite representations in respect of the preliminary report within a period of thirty days from the date of publication. A voter in a constituency may, within the period specified in sub-section , make a representation to the Commission in respect of the delimitation of that constituency proposed in the preliminary report. The Commission shall, after hearing and considering the representations, if any, received by it, make such amendments, alterations or modifications in the preliminary list of constituencies published under sub-section (1) as it thinks fit or necessary, and shall, within a period of thirty days from the last date fixed for making representation under sub-section (2), publish in the official Gazette and on its website, the final report and list of constituencies showing the areas included in each constituency. 22. Power of Commission to make amendment, alteration or modification in the final list of constituencies.— (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, the Commission may, at any time but at least four months before notification of the Election Programme, of its own motion and for reasons to be recorded, make such amendments, alterations or modifications in the final list of constituencies published under sub-section (4) of section 21 or in the areas included in a constituency, as it deems necessary.
The Commission shall publish in the official Gazette and on its website the proposed amendments, alterations or modifications with their justifications and invite and hear representations in respect thereof before taking final decision for delimitation of any constituency.
Download Elections Act, 2017 to click this link
