Pakistan goes to vote on July 25

Islamabad: Pakistan will hold general elections on July 25, a notification issued by President Mamnoon Hussain said. The notification said General Elections, 2018 in national and provincial Assembly seats will be held simultaneously. This would be only the second-ever democratic transfer of power in the country.

President Mamnoon signed a summary forwarded by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on holding of elections on July 25. “The President has approved July 25 as the date for holding elections,” a spokesman from Mamnoon Hussain’s office said.

The date was also confirmed by the government of Pakistan’s Twit-ter account and was reported by state media outlets. The announcement comes as the current government enters its final week in office. It is expected to hand over power to a caretaker administration in the coming days.

The Election Commis-sion of Pakistan may announce the poll schedule within a few days. Earlier this week, the ECP had sent a summary to President Hussain proposing holding of the 2018 general elections on any date between July 25 and 27.