President’s Announcement

Pakistan’s president announced that President Arif Alvi had dissolved both the government and parliament on Wednesday as part of the preparations for elections that authorities say may not take place until next year at the earliest.

Prime Minister’s Advice

“The President has dissolved the National Assembly on the advice of the Prime Minister,” the President said in a statement.

Technocrat-Dominated Government

The move is also a prelude to the technocrat-dominated government taking over the election preparations.

Possible Delay in Elections

By law, elections must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of parliament. However, Shahbaz Sharif’s government has indicated that it is likely to be delayed.

Crisis Faced by the Authorities

For several months now, rumors have been circulating about the possibility of postponing the elections in connection with the crisis faced by the authorities in the areas of security, economics, and politics. And this possibility has increased after the publication of the data of the last census of the country at the end of last week.

Redeployment of Constituencies

Justice Minister Azzam Nazir Tarar told a local television station that constituencies would have to be redeployed based on a new census, warning that this could delay elections.

Expected Delay Duration

He hopes that the delay will be limited to a period not exceeding “50-60 days”.