” Senate elections scheduled for April 3, ECP finalises election schedule ” | GNN INFO

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced the schedule for Senate elections for April 3 across the national and four provincial assemblies.

On April 3, a total of 48 Senate seats will be contested, with twelve senators set to be elected from both Sindh and Punjab, while Islamabad will elect two senators. Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan will contribute eleven senators each to the upper house of parliament.

This electoral event comes on the heels of the retirement of 52 senators on March 11, following the completion of their six-year terms. Among the retirees, twelve senators each hail from Punjab and Sindh, while four represent the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

Read more: PML-N dominates: Inside Pakistan’s new National Assembly

Similarly, KP bid farewell to eleven senators, while Islamabad and Balochistan also bid farewell to two and eleven senators, respectively, on March 11.

The 25th constitutional amendment precludes re-election on the four Senate seats previously held by representatives from FATA.

The ECP also unveiled the election schedule for six vacant Senate seats. These vacancies arose when sitting senators transitioned to other legislative bodies. One seat is up for grabs in Islamabad, while Sindh and Balochistan will fill two and three vacant seats, respectively.

The nomination process for these seats commences on March 2 and 3, with elections scheduled for March 14.

The Punjab Assembly is gearing up to elect twelve senators in March. These seats encompass representation across general, women’s,and minority categories. Among the notable retirees from the Punjab Assembly include senators from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), with replacements expected to uphold the legacy of service and representation in the upper house.