Islamabad Local Government Elections on December 20: ECP Issues Fresh Schedule After Five-Year Delay

 

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday formally announced the schedule for Islamabad's long-delayed local government elections, setting polling day for December 20, 2026, with voting to be held from 8am to 4pm without a break under the ICT Local Government Act, 2015.

Main News Report

• Polling day set: Polling across the federal capital will be held on December 20, from 8:00am to 4:00pm, with consolidation of results from December 21 to 24, Aaj English TV, Dunya News and ARY News reported.
• The five-member bench: Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja announced a brief order after a five-member ECP bench — including members Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi, Babar Hassan Bharwana and retired Justice Ikramullah Khan — heard proceedings on the repeated delays in holding the polls, Dawn reported.
• Key dates: A public notice inviting nomination papers will be issued on October 30; candidates can file nomination papers from November 2 to 6; the candidate list will be published on November 7; scrutiny runs November 9 to 13; appeals from November 14 to 18, decided November 19 to 23; a revised candidate list on November 24; withdrawals by November 25; and election symbols allotted on November 26.
• Five-year wait: Islamabad has been without an elected local government for more than five years. ECP Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal Malik told the commission that constituency delimitations had been carried out six times and election schedules issued four times, most recently set for October 9 with polling originally planned for February this year.
• Legal maze cleared: The ICT Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 lapsed on September 6 before replacement legislation could be enacted; the Law Ministry returned the ECP's draft rules, citing the expiry. The commission has now decided to proceed under the 2015 Act, which remains in force, Dawn reported.

Background Context

• Five years of drift: The ECP hearing centred on the repeated postponement of Islamabad's local body polls, which have not been held for over five years despite constitutional and statutory requirements for local government within 120 days of a term's expiry.
• Delimitation redrawn six times: According to Malik, each change to the legal framework forced fresh delimitations — most recently final boundaries published on October 14 — while schedules kept collapsing before polling day.
• The January ordinance: In January 2026, President Asif Ali Zardari promulgated the ICT LG (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, replacing the Metropolitan Corporation structure with three town corporations aligned with National Assembly constituencies. The ECP withdrew its schedule in response; the ordinance then lapsed on September 6.
• Fresh delimitation final: With the October 14 delimitations published and the 2015 Act revived as the governing law, the commission told officials to complete all remaining steps promptly and in accordance with the law.
• Interior officials in the dock: Interior Secretary Ahmed Raza Sarwar and Additional Deputy Commissioner Uzair Ali Khan, representing the Islamabad chief commissioner, appeared before the bench during the hearing, Minute Mirror reported.

Reactions and Statements

• ECP, in its order: The commission said it was proceeding under its constitutional responsibilities and the relevant provisions of the Elections Act, 2017 and the ICT Local Government Act, 2015, and directed its office to expedite all necessary steps for timely completion of the electoral process.
• ECP Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal Malik: Briefed the bench that delimitations had been carried out six times, schedules issued four times, and that two reminder letters had been sent to the Interior Ministry about the lapsed ordinance without the required rules being provided.
• Officials at the hearing: Appeared before the bench as the commission weighed how to proceed after the ordinance's expiry — a decision that now puts the capital on the road to elected town corporations.
• The commission's code-of-conduct warning: With the schedule announced, the ECP said compliance with the electoral code of conduct would be strictly ensured to promote a transparent and fair electoral process.

Why This News Matters

• Grassroots democracy returns: For the first time in over five years, Islamabad residents will elect local representatives to handle neighbourhood-level problems — from roads and sanitation to water supply and streetlights — restoring a direct channel for accountability in the capital.
• A legal logjam broken: The decision to proceed under the 2015 Act ends a cycle of lapsed ordinances, withdrawn schedules and redrawn boundaries that kept the capital's polls in limbo.
• Strict campaign guardrails: Following the announcement, the ECP made prior approval mandatory for transfers and postings of government officials in Islamabad, barred the prime minister, president, ministers and members of parliament from campaigning, and banned the announcement of any new development projects in the capital.
• Offices stay open: The ECP and returning officers' offices will remain open even on public holidays to keep election-related work on time — a signal the commission means to hold the line this time.

Future Developments

• The October 30 public notice inviting nomination papers — the first formal electoral activity in the capital in over five years.
• Nomination filings from November 2 to 6 and whether the process draws a crowded field of candidates across Islamabad's town corporations.
• Scrutiny of papers (November 9–13) and the appeals window (November 14–18) for any high-profile disqualifications or disputes.
• Allotment of election symbols on November 26 and the start of the formal campaign under the code of conduct.
• Polling day on December 20 and results consolidation from December 21 to 24 — the moment Islamabad's local democracy is finally restored.

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