Returning officers have begun the process of examining the candidates’ qualifications as the second round of the Senate elections has begun nationally.
Nomination papers will be examined starting today and continuing through tomorrow, Wednesday, in order to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the candidates running for Senate seats.There are four contenders vying for two seats in Islamabad, the federal capital.
The candidates are Farzand Hussain Shah on behalf of the Sunni Ittehad Council, Advocate Raja Ansar Mahmood from the Sunni Ittehad Council, Rana Mehmoodul Hassan of the PPP running for the general seat of Islamabad, and Ishaq Dar representing the coalition government on the technocrat seat.
All appeals about the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers must be resolved by March 25. On March 27, the final candidate list will be unveiled.
The Senate election polls are scheduled for April 2. A updated candidate list will be released on March 26 and candidature papers can be withdrawn until March 27.
Members of the National Assembly will vote in the federal capital to choose senators for one general seat and one seat reserved for technocrats, such as Ulema.
In a similar vein, members of the four provincial assemblies will take part in the selection process and choose senators based on provincial quotas for a variety of seats, including general, women, and technocrats.
42 candidates have filed their nomination papers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 10 are running for seats held by technocrats and ulemas, seven are running for reserved seats, and 25 are running for ordinary seats.
In the meantime, a preliminary list of contenders for the province’s open Senate seats has been released by the Balochistan electoral commission.
Eight are running for women’s seats, 13 are running for technocrat seats, and 17 of the 38 candidates whose nomination papers have been accepted are running for general seats.
