Pakistan's voters number exceed 128 million ahead of general elections

ISLAMABAD: More than 128.5 million people in Pakistan will vote in the upcoming general elections, in which 69.2 million male voters and 59.3 million women voters will cast their vote to choose the next Pakistani government, The Express Tribune reported on Tuesday. It reported quoting the Pakistan Election Commission, which released details of registered voters across the country.

In Islamabad, the overall voter count is 1.083 million, with 568,406 male voters and 514,623 female voters. In Punjab, the total voter count exceeds 73.278 million, with over 39.122 million male voters and more than 34.085 million female voters, according to the Election Commission. In Sindh, the total voter count is 26.994 million, with 14.4612 million male voters and over 12.382 million female voters.

For Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the total number of voters is 21.928 million, with 11.944 million male voters and 9,983,722 female voters, The Express Tribune reported.

The total number of voters in Balochistan is 5.37 million. The number of male voters is 3.16 million while that of female voters is 2.35 million. According to a statement issued by the electoral body, "The ECP's commitment to transparency is evident in this disclosure, providing citizens with accurate electoral information." It added, "This disclosure aligns with the Election Commission's continuous efforts to keep an updated and easily accessible record of the nation's voting population."

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) made public the rules it would follow for candidates wishing to file nominations for seats in the national and provincial assemblies, ARY News reported. As per the election schedule, nomination papers are accepted from December 20 to December 22. The nomination papers can be filed from 8:30 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon.

"The nomination fees for the National Assembly candidates and provincial assemblies' candidates have been (PKR) 30,000 and 20,000, respectively," the ECP said. The candidate has two options for paying the fees: cash or depositing it at a bank location. "A candidate will submit his/her income tax returns of three years, annexed with nomination papers," the guidelines read, according to ARY News.

"The age of a candidate on last date of submitting the nomination papers must not be lesser than 25 years," the ECP said. "A candidate of the National Assembly seat must be a voter of any place within Pakistan".

"A candidate of a provincial assembly must be a native of the concerned province," the ECP announced. According to ECP, voters in the relevant constituency must suggest and support a candidate for a general seat. Pakistan's general elections are slated to take place on February 8, 2024.

Meanwhile, the process of filing nomination papers will finally begin on Wednesday after 144 district returning officers and 859 returning officers across the country take their oath on Tuesday. This will be followed by the issuance of public notices to formally invite nominations, Dawn News reported.