CCI to approve census results, raising concerns of election delay

• Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting will be held on July 25.
• CCI is likely to approve digitial census results ahead of elections.
• There are concerns that elections would be delayed if results are approved

ISLAMABAD: A constitutional crisis is expected to rise as the government is set to approve the results of the controversial digital population and housing census, just days before the completion of its constitutional tenure.

The government has summoned a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) on July 25, sources revealed. This is the first CCI meeting under the current PDM-led government which will be chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The meeting will review the findings and report of the digital census. The provincial governments will present their stand on the census results and address any anomalies.

The CCI meeting is likely to approve a digital census report, sources revealed. If notified, this could lead to a constitutional crisis and raise concerns over the next general elections.

The Constitution will have to be amended to change the number of seats in the assemblies, sources said, adding that there are concerns that elections will be postponed in the census results are notified.

Federal ministers have said the general elections will be held based on the data from the old census in 2017 as there is a shortage of time for new delimitations.

Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said that if the new census is not approved, constituencies will be drawn up based on the old census and elections will be held.

He said Article 54 of the Constitution contains both cases. He said the Electoral Reforms Committee has representation from all political parties and its recommendation will be revealed.

Govt will not approve new census

Earlier Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah maintained that the government had decided not to notify the digital census, adding that the upcoming polls would be held on the basis of the 2017 census.

He said the Council of Common Interests (CCI) has to complete its term. If the new census is not notified by then, the elections will be held on the basis of the previous census and delimitation, he said.

He said the government has decided that it will not notify this latest census. He said the assemblies will be dissolved after completing their terms and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will be bound to conduct elections on the basis of the previous census.

The interior minister noted that the government would not notify the latest census as several stakeholders expressed reservations.  He said the MQM-P, an ally of the government in the Centre, had apprehensions over the new digital census.

He pointed out that there were complaints about the new census in Balochistan as well. He stressed that all issues should be sorted out and any decision in haste on the census could lead to a controversial situation in the country.

Election not possible on new census

Earlier Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said that elections within the stipulated time are only possible if they are conducted on the basis of the census carried out in 2017.

He said even if the results are notified by the Council of Common Interests (CCI), there is  no time left for the ECP to carry out the delimitation process, which needs at least 4 months.

He said the coalition government doesn’t have the two-thirds majority in the NA needed for the constitutional amendment to change the number of seats in the legislature.

Ahsan Iqbal said that the census results were to be notified by April 30. He added the final date was extended multiple times at the request of the provinces due to the discrepancies identified during the enumeration process.

Ahsan Iqbal said that even if the census is finalised immediately, it is impossible before July 30. He said the ECP has to take the final decision on the election date.