ISLAMABAD:
Islamabad’s local elections have once again been postponed after the President promulgated the Islamabad Local Government Ordinance, introducing a major overhaul of the capital’s municipal governance structure.
Under this ordinance, the existing metropolitan corporation system in the federal capital was abolished and replaced with a new municipal corporation system. Islamabad will now be divided into three municipal corporations, aligned with the city’s three National Assembly constituencies.
According to the ordinance, each municipal corporation will have a certain number of union councils notified by the federal government. The government will have the power to change the boundaries of municipal corporations and union councils after hearing objections from the public.
However, no changes to the boundaries will be permitted once the electoral calendar is officially announced. The ordinance defines “local government” to include union councils and municipal corporations.
In areas where a local government is not functional, the government will appoint an administrator. The term “chief” designates the mayor of a municipal corporation or the president of a union council.
Under the new administrative structure, each municipal corporation will have a mayor and two deputy mayors. The presidents of the union councils will be general members of their respective municipal corporations.
In addition, each municipal corporation will be represented by reserved seats, comprising four women members, a farmer or worker, a trader or businessman, a youth and a non-Muslim member.
At the union council level, general members will be elected by secret ballot, with the entire union council declared a multi-member constituency. Each voter will be entitled to one vote for a general member candidate, while nine candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be declared elected. Successful candidates will be allowed to join any political party within 30 days of their election.
The general members of the Union Council will elect by show of hands the members occupying the reserved seats. The general members and the reserved members will then elect the president and vice-president together, also by show of hands. The president and vice president will also be allowed to join a political party within 30 days of their election.
The president of the union council will automatically be a general member of the municipal corporation. At the municipal corporation level, general members will elect members occupying reserved seats by show of hands.
All members of the municipal corporation will jointly elect the mayor and deputy mayors by a majority of votes. Only a member of the municipal corporation will be able to stand for election as mayor or deputy mayor.
