The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has concluded the deadline for filing nomination papers for the February 8 general election at 4:30pm today. With a little over a month left for polls, the ECP has entered election mode. The commission initially issued the election schedule on December 15, putting an end to uncertainty surrounding the exercise. The process to file nomination papers for national and provincial assembly seats commenced on Dec 20 and was originally set to end on Friday at 4:30pm. However, the ECP extended the deadline till Sunday due to requests from political parties. Returning officers (ROs) will examine the nomination papers from Dec 25 to Dec 30 as per the schedule. The last date for filing appeals against the RO’s decision is January 3 and the last date for deciding the appeals by an appellate tribunal is January 10.
Meanwhile, political parties have been submitting their nomination papers for various seats. PTI and PML-N candidates have submitted their papers for multiple constituencies, and the PPP and PML-N have also released lists of their members for reserved seats for women and minorities in the National Assembly.