New Islamabad mayor to remain in office for just six weeks

ISLAMABAD: The new mayor of Islamabad, to be elected on December 28, will hold office for just six weeks—a period equal to the unexpired portion of the mayor’s five-year term.

In October, Sheikh Ansar Aziz, belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), had handed in his resignation as the mayor of the federal capital metropolitan corporation (MC).

Following his resignation, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to hold elections to fill the vacancy, even if for a few weeks. Ansar Aziz was elected on February 15, 2016 for a five-year tenure, which expires on the same day next year. He had taken oath on March 4. The person elected in his place will hold the position for the remaining period only.

The Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act 2015 says the five-year term of office will commence from the day on which the local government holds its first meeting. The first meeting should be held not more than 30 days from the day on which the names of its members are notified by the ECP.

More than half a dozen seats of the chairmen of union councils, who automatically become members of the MC by virtue of their position, are vacant and the ECP has not held elections to fill these vacancies. On the previous occasion, these posts were shared by the PML-N and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

When contacted, the former mayor told The News that the PML-N enjoys a clear majority in the MC as it has nearly 45 members despite the vacant seats. On the other hand, the PTI has 25 seats. He said there is no doubt that his party’s nominee would win the election.

Ansar Aziz had secured 49 votes against the PTI representative Raja Khurram Nawaz, who had bagged 26 votes in the secret ballot in 2016. His party’s nominees - Chaudhry Riffat Javed, Zeeshan Ali Naqvi and Azam Khan for the three posts of deputy mayors - had been elected as joint candidates. Of the 50 seats of the chairmen of union councils, 32 had been won by the PML-N.

The 77-member MC consists of the mayor, three deputy mayors, chairmen of all 50 union councils plus 27 women, peasants/workers, technocrats, youth members and non-Muslims elected on special seats.

The law allows the federal government to appoint an administrator after the expiration of the current term of the local councils for a period not exceeding six months to perform their functions until the elected mayor assumes office. In 2015, a specific law was enacted for the first time by parliament to have a metropolitan corporation in Islamabad run by an elected mayor and representatives.

The act says the number of women should not be less than 33pc, peasants/workers, non-Muslims and youth not less than 5pc each and technocrats not less than 2pc. The number will be computed by the government accordingly.