ECP halts K-P local polls, fixes 7 February 2027 for Punjab's first phase
The Election Commission of Pakistan has suspended preparations for local government elections in the remaining Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts. It has set 7 February 2027 for the first phase of polls in Punjab.
- ECP suspends local government election steps in remaining K-P districts until further notice.
- Decision follows a federal order extending the suspension of Article 140-A.
- First phase of Punjab local government polls fixed for 7 February 2027.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has suspended preparations for local government elections in the remaining districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to The Express Tribune. The commission said it could no longer hold the polls there under a federal government order.
The federal government issued the order a day before the ECP meeting on Thursday. It extended the suspension of Article 140-A of the Constitution to all remaining K-P districts, except those already covered by an earlier order.
Article 140-A had earlier been suspended in some K-P districts after governor's rule and an emergency were imposed. The article provides for establishing local governments, and its Subsection (2) gives the ECP the job of conducting local government elections.
The ECP concluded that holding the elections in the remaining K-P districts was no longer possible under the federal order. All steps taken so far for these elections were suspended until further notice.
For Punjab, the commission fixed 7 February 2027 for the first phase of local government elections. The meeting was chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, and the commission issued a press release on its decisions on Thursday.
The Punjab government had first agreed to hold the polls between 15 December 2026 and 15 January 2027. A Punjab cabinet committee later recommended April 2027, citing smog, fog, adverse weather, Ramazan and the unavailability of schoolteachers.
The provincial government then sought January or February 2027, arguing that weather improves in February. The Punjab chief secretary asked that the date be set after 20 January 2027 and that polling be held in phases.
The Punjab case was heard by a four-member bench headed by Sikandar Sultan Raja. The ECP directed its secretariat to take the necessary follow-up action on the Punjab decision.
Why it matters for Pakistan
Local government elections decide who runs city and town services for voters. In the remaining Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts, residents will not see these polls go ahead for now, as all steps are suspended until further notice. In Punjab, voters now have a fixed date for the first phase, 7 February 2027.
