The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday began accepting nomination papers from potential candidates of the Feb. 8, 2024 polls, with the process to continue from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until Friday (Dec. 22).
According to the schedule previously issued by the ECP, it would issue a preliminary list of candidates on Dec. 23, with scrutiny of nomination papers to span Dec. 24-30. Election symbols would then be allotted to parties’ and independent candidates on Jan. 13.
A day earlier, the ECP issued its guidelines for candidates seeking to submit nomination papers. Under the guidelines, two voters of the same constituency to propose and second their nomination must accompany each potential candidate. It said no individual is permitted to become a proposer or seconder for more than one candidate.
According to the ECP, there is no bar on candidates seeking to contesting multiple constituencies, but they cannot be nominated in the same constituency by more than five nomination papers; candidates often submit multiple nomination papers from the same constituency to avoid rejection on technical grounds. Each nomination submitted by any candidate, state the guidelines, must be on a separate form, signed by both the proposer and the seconder.
Any potential candidate for a National Assembly seat can be a voter of any constituency, but those aspiring for a provincial assembly seat must have their vote registered in the said province. “A candidate of reserved seats for women in the National Assembly must be enlisted as a voter in the province,” it added.
All returning officers, per the ECP, are barred from accepting nomination papers if they are not submitted with Rs. 30,000 fees for the National Assembly, and Rs. 20,000 for provincial assemblies. This amount, it said, could be deposited in cash with the returning officers (RO); through a bank draft drawn in favor of the RO; or as a deposit in the specified National Bank of Pakistan account, the receipt of which must be attached with the nomination papers.
All potential candidates must also attach three years of income tax returns; bank transactions’ records up to Dec. 8; a copy of their passport; and an affidavit with details of the assets of their dependents, including their family.
All candidates must be 25 years or older as of Dec. 22.