President Asif Zardari has ratified the Elections Act (Amendment Bill) 2024, which aims to prevent independent lawmakers from switching parties, sources informed Presstonight. The bill has been forwarded to the Senate Secretariat for a gazette notification, expected today, according to the sources.
This ratification follows a challenge by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the Supreme Court against the bill, which introduces retrospective amendments to the Elections Act 2017. The ruling coalition and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) have also approached the apex court concerning its July 12 verdict on assigning National Assembly reserved seats to the PTI, an issue closely related to the newly passed bill.
The bill, proposed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Bilal Azhar Kiyani, was passed in both the National Assembly and the Senate despite strong opposition. The PTI has reacted strongly, as the bill, once enacted, would hinder the party’s resurgence by prohibiting independent candidates from changing party affiliations after submitting their initial affidavits.
Key Amendments
The Act, effective retrospectively from the commencement of the Elections Act 2017, amends Section 66, requiring candidates to declare their party affiliation to the returning officer before the election symbol is allotted. Failure to do so will classify the candidate as independent.
Section 104 is also amended, stipulating that a political party must submit its list for reserved seats within the prescribed time, or it will forfeit eligibility for those seats.
A new Section 104A is introduced, declaring that an independent candidate’s consent or affidavit regarding joining a political party is “irrevocable” and cannot be withdrawn or substituted.
