NA approves sweeping reforms shifting election disputes to Federal Constitutional Court
Islamabad: Pakistan’s National Assembly has approved major amendments to the Elections Act 2017, introducing far-reaching legal and institutional changes related to election disputes and lawmakers’ asset disclosures. The Elections (Amendment) Act 2026 will take immediate effect following its passage in the lower house.
Under the newly passed legislation, election-related disputes, appeals, and legal interpretations will now fall under the jurisdiction of the Federal Constitutional Court, replacing the Supreme Court in several key sections of the law. The amendments were presented by Pakistan Peoples Party MNA Shazia Marri and approved after the National Assembly’s Standing Committee submitted its report.
The Assembly amended Sections 9, 66, 104, 104A, 155, 202, 212, and 232 of the Elections Act, formally inserting the Federal Constitutional Court as the primary authority for resolving election disputes and constitutional interpretations arising from electoral laws.
Another major change concerns the publication of lawmakers’ assets and liabilities. Amendments to Section 138 grant the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Chairman of the Senate the authority to withhold public disclosure of a member’s asset details in cases where disclosure could pose a security or life threat. Such information may be kept confidential for up to one year, though complete asset declarations must still be submitted confidentially to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
According to the bill’s statement of objectives, the legislation aims to strike a balance between transparency, accountability, personal security, and privacy rights. Lawmakers argued that unrestricted public disclosure of assets could expose elected representatives and their families to security risks.
The bill will now be presented to the Senate for approval. During the session, several other legislative proposals were also introduced, including amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and constitutional bills related to women’s reserved seats and electoral reforms.
Opposition members raised concerns over shifting election matters away from the Supreme Court, while the government defended the move as necessary for constitutional clarity and consistency.
