Election 2024: “Symbol dispute” may cause a poll delay, the ECP cautions

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued a warning, stating that if orders to alter the electoral emblems that have already been assigned to candidates continue to come in, the polls may need to be postponed.

The ECP noted in a statement that election symbols were being altered through a variety of channels, without mentioning any court.

The ECP stated that it had already given the three printing businesses the order to manufacture ballots, and that the printing process had begun the day before after the election symbols were assigned.

It stated, “There is a fear of an election delay if the process of changing the election symbols continues in the same way, as the ballot papers will have to be reprinted, for which time is already limited, and on the other hand, the special paper available for the ballot papers will also be lost.”

In contrast to the 11,700 candidates that competed in the 2018 polls, the commission observed a 33% rise in the number of candidates for the next general elections, with 18,059 totaling.

Read More: Who will win the 2024 election in Pakistan?

Eight hundred tons of paper were utilized to print two hundred million ballots in the 2018 elections; this time, 2,070-ton paper is expected to be used to print two hundred million ballots, especially after the electoral rolls were updated in light of the constituency boundaries.

The ECP has repeatedly instructed relevant officials not to alter electoral symbols once printing has begun, even as it handles this particular situation. The statement did note, however, that there was also consideration being given to postponing the polls in these constituencies if the trend of altering the electoral emblems persisted.

Read More: Election 2024: How many parties were elected for the elections?

Prior to the current elections, the ECP prohibited returning officers (ROs) and district returning officers (DROs) from altering the election emblems assigned to electoral candidates.

Syed Nadeem Haider, a spokesman for the ECP, stated that the ECP instructed provincial election commissioners, DROs, and ROs to refrain from altering election symbols at this time and to request its consent if a modification was absolutely necessary.