President Alvi returns ICT Local Govt Amendment bill, calls it gambit to delay polls

ISLAMABAD – President Dr. Arif Alvi did not give his assent to Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2022, terming it the government’s trick to delay elections in Islamabad.

On Sunday, the president returned Local Govt reforms bill unsigned. According to a statement issued by the Presidency, Dr. Alvi said he believed the bill would further delay the local government elections.

President Alvi said, “actions of the Federal Government taken in hurry resulted in delaying election process twice, which was anathema to democracy”.

He mentioned that local elections could not be held in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) due to the following malafide actions of the Federal Government.

Alvi added that the electoral watchdog had announced the local elections for July 31 of last year after completing the delimitation of 50 Union Councils, and now polling day had to be delayed as the federal government increased UCs from 50 to 101.

... resulting into postponement of elections.

ii) After demarcation of 101 Union Councils, ECP decided to hold elections in ICT on 31st December 2022. Section 2 of current Bill provides for 125 Union Councils in the ICT.
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— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) January 1, 2023

As per Section 3 of the current Bill, the mode of elections of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor has also been changed after the announcement of the schedule of elections, the statement further reads.

The development comes as the Election Commission was unable to comply with the order of the Islamabad High Court for conducting the local government elections in the capital as the government filed intra-court appeals against the verdict.