President Arif Alvi would remain in office despite the expiration of his term in September, according to Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazir Tarar.
According to the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, the minister told the media on Monday that the constitutional office of the president cannot be kept empty.
He stated that the president’s electoral college is the parliament and the provincial assemblies; so, the next president will be elected upon the formation of a new government following general elections.
Because the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) must decide when elections will be held following the delimitation of constituencies under the new census, Alvi will continue to serve as president until the new setup takes over.
It should be recalled that with the Council of Common Interests (CCI) approval of Census 2023, ECP is required to conduct new delimitations, and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah stated on Monday that the elections could be delayed until March of next year as a result.
After the CCI meeting on Saturday “unanimously” authorised the 2023 headcount, the ECP is compelled to hold the next general elections — originally scheduled for October or November this year — on the basis of a new digital census.
