ECP begins consultation with KP on local government polls in 23 districts

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has opened formal consultations with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to settle the date for local government elections in 23 districts, according to an official statement issued after a meeting at the commission secretariat on Tuesday.

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja chaired the session, which was attended by members of the commission, the ECP secretary, the KP chief secretary, the local government secretary and senior election officials. The consultation comes after the tenure of local governments in KP came to an end this year under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act, 2013, which provides for a four-year term for elected local representatives.

The ECP said delimitation work in the 23 districts had already been completed and that the commission was fully prepared to conduct the polls. The commission also told the meeting that local government terms in the province had expired on March 14 and June 19, 2026, respectively.

According to the press release, the chief election commissioner stressed that setting up local governments was a constitutional obligation under Article 140-A. He was quoted as saying the ECP was required under the law to proceed within a fixed timeframe after the expiry of local bodies' tenure.

Under Section 219(4) of the Elections Act, 2017, the ECP is bound to hold local government elections within 120 days of the expiry of the term of local governments,

The ECP further said that under Section 219(3) of the Elections Act and Rule 15(1) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Councils (Conduct of Elections) Rules, 2021, it must consult the provincial government before issuing the election schedule.

During the meeting, the KP chief secretary informed the commission that the ECP's letter seeking consultation on the poll date had been received on July 8, 2026, and that a summary was promptly forwarded to the provincial cabinet. He told the meeting that the provincial administration was prepared to support the commission and make arrangements for the elections.

The provincial administration is ready to assist the commission and make arrangements for the polls,

The commission also asked the chief secretary to provide a copy of that summary. The official statement said both sides would meet again after 15 days to finalise the election date for the 23 districts.

Last week, the ECP had cautioned the KP government against further delay in the local government election process and directed it to submit all remaining delimitation notifications before the next hearing scheduled for July 28.