Electoral symbols are allocated by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to political parties and independent candidates participating in general elections.
Major political parties in the country have established electoral symbols, including a bat for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), an arrow for Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), and a tiger for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
All the electoral symbols appear on the ballot paper, giving the voters the choice to stamp the symbol of their choice. The ballot paper also has names, but 40% of the country’s 241 million population is illiterate, so symbols can be easier to identify.
Thousands of candidates participate in elections, as do dozens of political parties and millions of voters. A single ballot paper offers voters a wide range of choices.
How does the ECP allot electoral symbols?
According to Section 216, political parties can submit an application to the election commission to apply for electoral symbols.
Registered political parties can claim the same election symbol as allocated to them in the previous polls.
On the other hand, an independent candidate can apply for allotment of an election symbol from the symbol list published by the ECP.
If the two independent candidates want the same electoral symbol, then priority will be given to the candidate who has previously taken part in elections.
