The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday agreed to the Punjab government’s proposal to hold local government elections in the province between December 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027.
In a press release, the commission said an important meeting was held at the ECP’s headquarters to discuss fixing a date for the local government elections in Punjab. The meeting was chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.
A four-member Punjab cabinet committee, headed by Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq and comprising Mines and Minerals Minister Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani, Agriculture Minister Syed Muhammad Ashiq Hussain Shah and Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat, also attended the meeting, along with the Punjab chief secretary and local government special secretary.
Meanwhile, ECP members, the ECP secretary, and other senior officials of the Commission also attended the meeting.
“The chief election commissioner highlighted the importance of establishing local governments and said that holding local government elections is a constitutional requirement under Article 140-A of the Constitution of Pakistan,” the statement said.
“Under Section 219(4) of the Elections Act, the Election Commission is bound to hold local government elections within 120 days of the expiry of the term of local governments,” Raja was quoted as saying.
According to the press release, the commission was briefed that the delimitation process in Punjab had been completed.
“Under Section 219(3) of the Elections Act 2017 and Section 59 of the Punjab Local Government Act, consultation with the provincial government is necessary for announcing the date of local government elections,” it stated.
It added that the Punjab cabinet committee briefed the commission that the chief minister of Punjab was committed to holding local government elections in the province and had given the committee full authority to hold consultations.
“The provincial government has to initiate the process for local government elections and would also require time for the proper provision of resources. In addition, the services of teaching staff are required extensively during the local government election process,” Rafiq was quoted as saying.
Therefore, he underscored that it would be more appropriate to hold the local government elections from December 15, 2026, to January 15, 2027, as the children’s examinations would have been completed by then and there would also be no issue of fog in the province.
Meanwhile, Punjab’s chief secretary briefed the commission that the provincial government wanted to hold the elections in phases during the aforementioned period so that adequate security and better arrangements could be provided, the release said.
“The commission, in principle, agreed with the provincial government’s proposal to hold local government elections between December 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027,” it stated.
The commission also demanded a plan from the provincial government “as soon as possible” if it wants to hold the local government elections in phases.
“The chief election commissioner appreciated the proposals of the Punjab cabinet committee regarding the holding of local government elections in Punjab and said that this would pave the way for fulfilling a constitutional responsibility,” the release concluded.
Earlier, the Punjab cabinet also approved an allocation of Rs12.52 billion for holding local government elections in the province.
The last local government elections in Punjab were held in 2015 under the Punjab Local Government Act, 2013. Polling took place in phases between October and December 2015, and elected councils assumed office in 2017 after indirect elections for mayors and chairpersons. Since then, local body polls in Punjab have experienced repeated delays.
The PTI government had dissolved the elected local bodies in April 2019 before they completed their tenure. The move was later struck down by the Supreme Court, which restored them. They eventually completed their term on Dec 31, 2021.
Successive provincial governments repeatedly amended or replaced the Punjab Local Government Act. Each legislative change required the ECP to restart preparations, including delimitation and election planning. Changing laws and administrative delays by successive governments contributed significantly to the postponement of the local body elections.
