ISLAMABAD:
Islamabad’s local government elections have been postponed yet again after the president promulgated the Islamabad Local Government Ordinance, which introduced a major overhaul of the capital’s municipal governance structure.
Under the Ordinance, the existing metropolitan corporation system in the federal capital has been abolished and replaced with a new municipal corporation framework. Islamabad will now be divided into three city corporations, in line with the city’s three National Assembly constituencies.
According to the order, each city corporation will include a number of union councils as notified by the federal government. The government will be empowered to change the boundaries of city corporations and union councils after hearing public objections.
However, there will be no possibility of changes in boundaries once the electoral plan has been formally announced. The order defines “local government” as including trade union councils and city corporations.
In areas where a local government is not functional, the government will appoint an administrator. The term ‘head’ refers to the mayor of a city corporation or the chairman of a trade union council.
Under the new administrative structure, each city corporation will have a mayor and two deputy mayors. The union presidents will serve as ordinary members of their respective city corporations.
In addition, each town corporation will include representation through reserved seats, consisting of four women members, one farmer or labourer, one trader or businessman, one youth and one non-Muslim member.
At association council level, ordinary members will be elected by secret ballot, where the entire association council is declared a multi-member department. Each voter will be entitled to cast one vote for one Ordinary Member candidate, while nine candidates obtaining 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.
Ordinary members of the Union Council will elect members in the reserved seats by a show of hands. Ordinary and reserved seat members then jointly elect a chairman and deputy chairman, also by show of hands. The chairman and deputy chairman will also be allowed to join a political party within 30 days of their election.
The union chairman will automatically act as a regular member of the city corporation. At city corporation level, ordinary members will elect members in reserved seats by a show of hands.
All members of the city corporation jointly elect the mayor and deputy mayors by majority vote. Only a city corporation member will be eligible to run for mayor or deputy mayor.
