The first phase of local government elections in Punjab will be held on February 7, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced on Thursday. A four-member bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, presided over the hearing on the case concerning the LG elections in the province. In a short order, the commission said that the request submitted by the Punjab chief secretary had been accepted. During the hearing, the Punjab chief secretary briefed the ECP that the provincial government had initially agreed to hold local government elections between December 15, 2026 and January 15, 2027. However, following consultations by the Punjab cabinet committee, it recommended holding the elections in April 2027 due to smog, dense fog, adverse weather conditions, the holy month of Ramadan and the unavailability of schoolteachers during that period. Citing these reasons, the provincial government had requested the ECP to hold the local government elections in April 2027. According to the ECP, the provincial government has now requested that the elections be held in January or February 2027, saying that weather conditions usually improve in February. “Taking the Punjab government’s request into consideration, the ECP decided that the first phase of local government elections in Punjab would be held on February 7, 2027,” the ECP said. The ECP said it was accepting the request to ensure that all candidates and voters in the constituencies were provided equal opportunities. The commission also highlighted its responsibility to conduct local government elections across the provinces, cantonment areas and Islamabad. ECP halts KP polls Separately, the ECP decided to halt the local government election process in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts following a review of a federal government order. Last week, the ECP directed its office to prepare the local government election programme for KP districts where constituency delimitation has been completed, with 12 districts excluded under special administrative arrangements. The poll organising body had ruled that elections would not be scheduled in Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Mohmand, Orakzai and North Waziristan under the federal government’s order dated October 11. During today’s meeting chaired by CEC Raja, the commission examined an order issued by the federal government on November 4. According to the ECP, the meeting reviewed clause 2 of the federal government’s order, which suspends Article 140A of the Constitution. The ECP said that the order’s scope has also been extended to districts other than those already specified in previous orders. It further observed that under Article 140A(2), conducting local government elections is the responsibility of the Election Commission. The ECP also reviewed the implications of suspending Article 140A for the ongoing election process in the remaining districts of KP. The ECP said that holding the elections in the remaining districts was no longer possible due to the order. It announced that all measures being taken for the conduct of the elections had been suspended until further orders.
ECP sets Feb 7 for first phase of Punjab LG elections, halts polls in KP
