On Monday, President Asif Ali Zardari approved the 2024 Elections Amendment Bill that was passed by the parliament.
The Election Amendment Bill 2024 changes Section 140 of the Election Act 2017. Under this bill, election tribunals will now include a serving judge, chosen with input from the Chief Justice of the relevant high court.
President Zardari gave his approval to the bill after it was passed by the National Assembly on June 28 and the Senate on July 4. With his approval, the bill has now become a law and can be put into action. President Zardari used Article 75 of the Constitution to give his consent.
The National Assembly passed the Elections Amendment Bill on June 28. The bill was presented by Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Azam Nazeer Tarar.
During the session, Tarar explained that the amendment aims to speed up the resolution of petitions related to elections for the National Assembly, Senate, provincial assemblies, and local governments. He pointed out that because of the heavy workload on current judges, the amendment proposes allowing retired high court judges to serve on election tribunals.
Despite strong opposition, the Election Act Amendment Bill 2024 was approved in a heated session at the National Assembly.
