NA passes Elections(Second Amendment) Bill, 2024

ISLAMABAD :National Assembly passed the Bill further to amend the Elections Act, 2017 [The Elections (Second Amendment Bill, 2024) by clause by clause.

The bill was moved by Bila Azhar Kayani. All the amendments proposed by the opposition were rejected.

According to Statement of the Objects and Reasons:- Articles 51 and 106 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan provide for allocation of seats to the National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies respectively alongwith mechanism for the elections thereto and include that the independent returned candidate or candidates may duly join a political party within three days of the publication in the official Gazette of the names of the returned candidates.

The Elections Act, 2017 and rules made thereunder also provide for the right to independent returned candidate or candidates to duly join a political party at his consent.

Neither the Constitution nor the Elections Act, 2017 provide for joining a political party by an independent returned candidate or candidates at subsequent stage when they have already exercised the option to join the political party at a point of time as specified in the Constitution.

To provide clarity in the law in true spirit of the Constitution this Bill has been designed to expressly provide for that no independent candidate or candidates shall exercise his/their right to join a political party at a subsequent stage after the period specified for the purpose in the Constitution and the law

While explaining the bill, Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar said that the amendments in the law are not a new thing but it further clarifies the constitution and the rules and laws of elections relevant to Article 51(6), Article 106 (3), Article 63(2) and Section 104 of Election Act, 2017.

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Tarar said that legislation is the prerogative of the parliament. He said the bill is in accordance with the spirit of the constitution.