Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is presiding over a meeting of the Council of Common Interest (CCI) to decide the destiny of the 2023 census. There is a disagreement between the coalition partners on the issue.
All of the chief ministers and senior members of the federal cabinet reportedly attend the council’s crucial meeting.
According to reports, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has informed the federal government that all formalities have been fulfilled and census results are ready for CCI approval.
Elections would likely be postponed by a few months if the CCI adopts the census findings since the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would need more time to redo the delimitation exercise.
According to the legislation, the ECP is required to organise elections based on new data if a new census is announced.
It is important to note that the National Assembly will be prematurely dissolved on August 9 — three days before its term ends — by the ruling coalition, giving the electoral body 90 days to hold elections.
