The Local Government Elections in Punjab will be held between December 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) agreed to the proposal sent by the Punjab Government. The press release issued by the ECP stated that an important meeting was held at the ECP headquarters, where the date for the local government elections was decided.
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— Election Commission of Pakistan (OFFICIAL)🇵🇰 (@ECP_Pakistan) August 20, 2026
Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja chaired the meeting. A four-member Punjab Cabinet Committee, the Chief Secretary Punjab, and the Local Government Special Secretary also attended.
The Punjab Cabinet Committee was headed by Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafiq and comprised the following members;
- Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat
- Mines and Minerals Minister Sardar Sher Ali Gorchani
- Agriculture Minister Syed Muhammad Ashiq Hussain Shah
The Chief Election Commissioner reiterated the importance of local government and that it is a constitutional requirement under Article 140-A of the Constitution of Pakistan. Key takeaways from the statement issued by ECP are as follows;
- As per Section 219(4) of the Elections Act, the Commission is responsible for holding local government elections within 120 days of the expiry of the term of local governments.
- Consultation to this effect with the provincial government is mandatory under Section 219(3) of the Elections Act 2017.
- Chief Minister had given the committee full authority to hold consultations to conduct the local government elections.
- Teaching staff are required during the local government election process.
- Therefore, it was decided to hold the elections from December 15, 2026, to January 15, 2027, as by then school examinations would be completed and fog would not be a concern in the province.
- The Chief Secretary Punjab briefed the Commission that conducting local government elections in phases would be appropriate to make adequate security arrangements.
- Punjab Cabinet approved a budget of 12.52 billion Rupees for the local government elections.
