Pakistan will hold general elections by May 16 after the national and provincial assemblies are dissolved at the end of their five-year terms, a senior minister said on Sunday.
“The current assemblies will be dissolved on March 16 and elections will be held within two months,” said Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira.
Briefing reporters after a meeting in Lahore on Saturday with cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri, who is demanding electoral reforms, Mr Kaira said the vetting period for election candidates would be 14 days instead of 30 and Mr Qadri had no objection to that.
“As per our agreement with Qadri, we will also consult with him on the appointment of an interim prime minister,” he said.
The ruling Pakistan People’s Party and its coalition partners signed an agreement with Mr. Qadri on January 17 to end a sit-in outside parliament in Islamabad called by the cleric and thousands of his followers.
Mr Qadri led a four-day protest in an attempt to force the government to comply with his demands for electoral reform and the dissolution of the Election Commission.
The Supreme Court last week rejected Mr. Qadri’s bid to dissolve the electoral commission and raised questions about his status as a Canadian citizen.
Published – February 17, 2013 03:57 pm EST.