Summary The interim government will oversee the general elections.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday signed a summary to hold general elections on May 11.
"The president received a summary from the government asking him to announce a suitable date for the election, so the president announced today that general elections to the national assembly will be held on May 11," spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.
This election will mark an end to the PPP-led government and the only democratic government to finish its term.
On March 17, the National Assembly stood dissolved on completion of its five-year term under Article-52 of the Constitution.
Elections will also be held for assemblies in Pakistan s four provinces, but it was not immediately clear whether those polls will also be held on May 11.
On Tuesday, the departing PPP-led government and the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) failed to reach consensus over selection of a caretaker prime minister. Now, a parliamentary committee has until Friday to select a candidate to head up a caretaker administration, which will formally steer the country towards the ballot box.
Yesterday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) allotted election symbols to 144 political parties, whereas it deferred the application of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarian (PPPP), which is demanding its old emblem ‘Arrow’. The decision on ‘arrow’ symbol will be taken by March 25.
According to statistics available at the Election Commission’s website, 23.58% out of the total 87.5 million voters are of ages between 31 and 40 years while the second largest group of voters is between the ages of 18 and 25.
During elections in Pakistan, a political party must secure 172 seats (51% of total seats) in the National Assembly of Pakistan to obtain amajority or else the elections will result in a hung parliament.
If a political party with the most votes is either unable or unwilling to form a coalition government within a certain time-frame, a runoff election will be carried out.
