Pakistan - November 2023

Following months of uncertainty, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) agreed to hold general elections on 8 February 2024. The announcement comes after the Supreme Court ordered the commission and president to agree on a date in response to several court challenges questioning the delay. The polls were originally delayed past the 90-day stipulated period after the dissolution of parliament on 9 August to allow time to redraw constituency boundaries based on the latest census. However, some political observers suspect the delay had more to do with the political crisis that has ensued since Prime Minister Imran Khan's no-confidence vote in 2022. Nonetheless, the move has been welcomed by major political parties as a positive development toward stability in Pakistan.

Sources: The Express Tribune, Dawn, Financial Times, Nikkei Asia