Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari has signed the Election Act Amendment Bill 2024 that restricts independent candidates from changing parties after the elections.
According to details, Asif Zardari signed the Election Act Amendment Bill 2024 last night, after which the bill was sent to the Senate Secretariat for gazette notification.
Sources indicate that the gazette notification for the Election Commission Act will be issued today.
It is noteworthy that the Election Act Amendment Bill 2024 was passed by a majority in both the National Assembly and the Senate, and was subsequently challenged in the Supreme Court by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The bill stipulates that after joining a party, lawmakers cannot switch parties within three days of winning an election. Additionally, reserved seats cannot be allocated to any party that did not win a single seat in the election.
Another amendment states that candidates will be considered independent lawmakers if they have not declared their affiliation with a specific political party to the returning officer (RO) before requesting a polling symbol.
This legislation follows a Supreme Court decision that allocated reserved seats to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). A 13-member bench, led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, ruled that PTI is entitled to these reserved seats, delivering a significant blow to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ruling coalition.
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