Senate elections: ECP announces schedule for four provinces

F.P. Report

LAHORE: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced Senate election schedule of all four provinces on Friday.

ECP issued a notification and according to it, the candidates can submit their nomination paper from 4-6 February and their scrutiny of their nomination papers can be completed by February 9 and the final list of the contestants will be issued on February 15.

ECP added that the polling to elect senators will be held on March 3 and it further added that the schedule for the seats reserved for Islamabad and FATA will be announced later.

A total of 52 senators are set to complete their term this year.

According to the ECP, four senators will be elected on general seats from FATA, 11 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan each, and 12 each from Sindh and Punjab — including seven on general seats, two on technocrats’ seats, two on women’s seats and one on a minorities’ seat.

Islamabad too will elect two senators on general and technocrat seats.

The prominent senators who are retiring including Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, Opposition Leader Aitzaz Ahsan, Taj Haider, Farhatullah Babar, Ilyas Bilour, Shahi Syed,  Mushahid Hussain Sayed and others.

The Senate consists of a total of 104 members — 23 each from the four provinces, eight from FATA and four from Islamabad Capital Territory. The 23 seats of each province break down into 14 general seats, four each for women and technocrats and one for minorities. While the total term for a senator is six years, half of the Senate retires after every three years.