ISLAMABAD: The upcoming general elections in the country are likely to be delayed as the Council of Common Interest (CCI) meeting on Saturday “unanimously” approved the 2023 census.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting of the CCI to decide the fate of the 2023 census amid reports of division among the coalition partners over the matter.
According to sources, the all-important meeting of the council was attended by all the chief ministers and senior members of the federal cabinet.
The insiders said the CCI huddle unanimously approved the latest digital census despite Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), key ally of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government, had publicly expressed reservations over it.
The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) also reportedly informed the federal government that it had completed all the formalities.
The general elections are likely to be delayed by a couple of months as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would need additional time to conduct the delimitation exercise afresh.
Under the law, if a new census is notified, the ECP is bound to hold elections on the basis of new data.
It is important to note that the ruling coalition has agreed to dissolve the National Assembly prematurely on August 9 — three days before its term ends — giving the electoral body 90 days to conduct polls.
