Islamabad LG elections postponed as ECP withdraws schedule

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission Pakistan (ECP) has postponed local government elections in the federal capital and withdrawn the previously announced polling schedule after the government changed the city’s local governance structure through a new ordinance.

In a notification issued on Friday, ECP said that the schedule for Islamabad’s local government elections was being withdrawn due to amendments made to the Islamabad Local Government Ordinance.

The changes, it said, had altered the mode and framework of local government elections, making it impossible to proceed under the existing timetable.

The ECP had earlier announced that local government elections in Islamabad would be held on February 15.

The move follows the government’s issuance of the Islamabad Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance on January 10, under which the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) was abolished and replaced with a new system of town corporations.

The revised structure divides the federal capital into multiple town administrations aligned with parliamentary constituencies, along with union councils operating under them.

According to the ordinance, town corporations will be headed by mayors and deputy mayors, while union councils will be led by chairmen. The changes also introduce new procedures for electing office bearers and allow the federal government to appoint administrators in the absence of elected local bodies.

The ECP said the changes in the legal framework required a fresh election schedule to be drawn up in line with the amended law.

Islamabad’s local government elections have been repeatedly delayed over the past several years due to legal disputes, administrative changes and disagreements between the federal government and the election body. The last elected local government setup in the capital completed its term in 2021.

Political parties and civil society groups have criticised the latest postponement, arguing that frequent legal changes and delays undermine local democracy in the federal capital.

Several petitions challenging the ordinance and the postponement of elections are also pending before the Islamabad High Court.

The election commission has not announced a new date for the polls, saying it will do so after reviewing the amended law and completing the required legal and administrative processes.