ISLAMABAD: In order to fill 48 vacancies, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday announced the holding of Senate elections on April 2.
Fifty-two seats in the upper house of parliament will become vacant after the 6-year term of office of the current senators expires on Tuesday. However, the election will be held to elect 48 senators as 4 seats reserved for the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) which were abolished after the 25th Amendment to the Constitution.
The election watchdog said the official election schedule would be published on March 14.
Voting would be held to elect members against seven general seats, two for women, two seats for technocrats including Ulema and one seat each for non-Muslims from Sindh and Punjab.
Besides, legislators from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan would elect members against seven general seats, two for women and two seats for technocrats, including the Ulema.
Members of the National Assembly will elect one general seat and one seat for technocrats, including Ulema from the federal capital, he added.
A day earlier, the ECP had appointed Returning Officers (ROs) in Islamabad and four provinces to conduct the Senate elections.
According to a notification issued by the election watchdog on Sunday, ECP Director General Training Saeed Gul will act as Returning Officer (RO) in the federal capital, while provincial election commissioners Aijaz Anwar Chohan, Sharifullah, Shamshad Khan and Muhammad Farid Afridi will be the returning officers in Punjab , Sindhu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
