- Five-year term of incumbent CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja is set to expire on Sunday (tomorrow)
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday urged the National Assembly speaker to form the parliamentary committee for in time appointment of the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) as well as the members for Sindh and Balochistan.
The PTI demands comes as the tenure of incumbent CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja is set to expire on January 26 (tomorrow).
According to the government, consultations will be held between the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader Omar Ayub to discuss the matter.
The government ‘officials’ stated that the CEC’s appointment will be made in accordance with the Constitution, and that Raja can continue to perform his duties until a new appointment is made under the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
Earlier this month, in a formal letter addressed to the Speaker of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq, Omar Ayub underlined the urgency of the matter, noting that the tenure of the current Chief Election Commissioner will end on January 26.
The opposition leader in the National Assembly had decided not to consult PM Shehbaz Sharif regarding the appointment of the new Chief Election Commissioner.
According to the constitution, it is necessary for the prime minister and the opposition leader to consult on the appointment of the CEC and members. If no consensus is reached between them, the matter will be referred to a parliamentary committee.
The speaker of the National Assembly will form a committee consisting of 12 members from both the government and opposition to address the issue.
If there is still no agreement, three nominees for each post will be sent to the committee. If the parliamentary committee fails to reach a consensus, the matter will be forwarded to the Supreme Court.
The appointment of the new CEC and members must be completed within 45 days, but in the interim, the current CEC and members will continue their responsibilities.
In a similar move, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Senator Shibli Faraz wrote a letter to Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani, urging the formation of a parliamentary committee for the appointment process.
In his letter, Shibli Faraz demanded the formation of a parliamentary committee for the appointment of the new Chief Election Commissioner. The letter noted that under Article 215, the term of the current CEC, Sikandar Sultan Raja, is coming to an end, as his term will expire on January 26.
Mr Faraz further stated that in compliance with Article 213, a parliamentary committee should be formed to fulfill the constitutional requirements for this appointment.
‘CEC can stay on till successor is appointed’
A day before, Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar declared that incumbent chief election commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja can continue his duties until the appointment of his successor, according to the Constitution.
“The new CEC will be appointed in line with the Constitution, which also allows a CEC to continue doing his job until a new CEC is appointed,” Tarar said in a statement on Friday.
The constitutional term of the CEC is going to end on January 26 and the leaders of opposition in the National Assembly and the Senate, Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz, have already written separate letters, demanding formation of a parliamentary committee to review nominations to fill the key position.
