Pakistan Conducts Senate Polls For 30 Vacant Seats - Here's Everything You Need To Know

The ongoing Senate elections for 30 vacant seats in Pakistan are being conducted in the National Assembly and provincial legislatures of Punjab and Sindh.

Notably, elections are not being held in Balochistan as lawmakers on the vacant seats there had been elected unopposed.

Pakistan Conducts Senate Polls

However, the dispute over the swearing-in of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly's opposition members elected to reserved seats remains unresolved, as reported by Dawn. Polling in KP was postponed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) due to delays in oath-taking by MPAs-elect on reserved seats.

This delay prompted the ECP to postpone the elections until oath administration was completed. As a result, 59 candidates are contesting the Senate polls after 18 were elected unopposed from Punjab and Balochistan.

The Senate polls are crucial as they will likely affect the balance of power in the upper house of parliament. The ruling coalition parties, PML-N and PPP, are expected to gain ground, potentially nearing a two-thirds majority. Meanwhile, the opposition PTI is anticipated to maintain its position as the single largest party, albeit with limited ability to impede government legislative agendas, as reported by Dawn.

In KP, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur expressed firm opposition to the oath-taking of opposition MPs-elect, pledging to prevent their swearing-in. The KP Opposition Leader, Dr. Ibadullah Khan, criticized the provincial government's handling of the situation, accusing them of disregarding legal directives.

In Punjab, voting is underway for various seats, including women, technocrats, and minority seats. The provincial assembly expressed optimism for a successful outcome, with the PML-N confident in winning all vacant seats. Similarly, in Sindh, polling is ongoing for 12 seats, encompassing general, women, technocrats, and minority categories, as reported by Dawn.

Several candidates secured Senate seats unopposed, notably in Punjab and Balochistan, affecting the overall distribution of seats. With the Senate composition playing a critical role in legislative matters, the outcome of these elections will shape the political landscape in Pakistan for the foreseeable future, reported local media reports.