ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced its decision to recount votes in Gujranwala’s NA-79 constituency.
The ECP directed the Returning Officer to conduct a recount of all votes, including rejected ballots, in the said constituency, sources told this agency here Tuesday.
The key points of the decision included, the recount will be conducted in the presence of the petitioner and other candidates, the Returning Officer must submit a report along with the revised Form 49 to the Commission within two days.
After the recounting, the notification of the elected candidate will be announced. This decision was made after hearing arguments from the lawyers representing both the respondent and the petitioner.
The ECP issued this decision under Article 218(3) of the Constitution, with Sections 4, 8(b), 8(c), and 95 of the Elections Act 2017.
The Commission noted that the results presented by the Returning Officer indicated that the margin of victory between the successful candidate and the runner-up was less than 8,000 votes. This margin meets the requirement for a recount under Section 95(5) of the Elections Act 2017, which mandates a recount if a written request or challenge by any candidate or their election agent.
The decision also highlighted that, according to Form-47, the number of rejected votes in this constituency was 9,300. Section 95 of the Elections Act 2017 outlines the procedure for the overall counting and recounting of votes.
