Emphasizing that universal suffrage is a part of people’s sovereignty guaranteed under the Basic Law, former Minister of Local Government and Provincial Councils President’s counsel Mr. Faizer Mustapha said that the Election Commission has been empowered to hold local government elections on or before March 20, 2023 and establish all 340 local government bodies. .
He further pointed out that the Supreme Court has declared in a decision given in 2016 that delaying the holding of local government elections is a violation of the fundamental rights of the people.
A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Priyasath Depp has ordered the Election Commission through this decision to hold the local government election without delay
“I am confident that the Election Commission, as an independent statutory body, will conduct the local government elections on time and take steps to protect the free franchise of the people,” Mustafa said.
If the government has a real need to introduce electoral reforms in the local government elections, it can be done in a few months with the agreement of all political parties in the parliament and thereby enable the Election Commission to hold the local government elections in early 2023. The best thing to do is to hold the local government elections first and the new He mentioned that the implementation of electoral reforms after the establishment of local government bodies.
