President Dr. Arif Alvi has written a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, suggesting that elections should be held by November 6. This comes after rumors that the president might unilaterally announce an election date, but it’s important to note that the letter is a suggestion and not an official declaration.
In the letter, the president referred to Article 48(5) of the Constitution, which empowers him to appoint an election date within 90 days of dissolving the National Assembly. According to this article, the general election to the National Assembly should be held by the 89th day from the date of dissolution, which would be Monday, November 6, 2023.
The president also invited the chief election commissioner for a meeting to discuss constitutional obligations. However, the CEC stated that constituency delimitation was in progress, as required by the Constitution and the Elections Act, 2017, falling under the election commission’s responsibility.
