Islamabad: The Election Commission of Pakistan has approved changes to the electoral rules in accordance with Section 239 of the Election Act 2017. The Election Commission of Pakistan has issued notifications stating that various amendments have been made to the electoral rules to address different scenarios and challenges that may arise over time in compliance with the law.The Election Commission has made changes in 18 sections of the Election Rules and has also introduced 5 new forms. It has been stated that objections can be filed within 15 days regarding the amended rules, whether by political parties or candidates, with objections accepted until October 7th.For candidates, there have been changes in the rules regarding election expenses. According to the announcements, candidates will now need to open a separate bank account for election expenses. A joint account for candidates participating in the election will not be acceptable. Returning officers will provide results to candidates at the District Election Commission’s office. Rules regarding postal ballots have also been amended. Postal ballots will now be sealed in separate packets and sent to the respective returning officers (ROs). Votes not received by the RO before Election Day for postal ballots will not be counted. If there are delays in the results until 2 am, the RO will inform the Election Commission. The RO will also inform the Election Commission of the reasons for the delay.According to the rules, the RO will cross-reference the presence of candidates in the results. The RO will self-arrange and submit Forms 47, 48, and 49 for results. Candidates will be responsible for organizing their election expenses and financial details related to the electoral campaign .As per the rules, candidates must open a separate bank account before submitting their nomination papers. A petition related to the elections can be filed for a fee of one lakh rupees. The Election Commission will decide on the case within 180 days.It has been stated in the rules that a fine ranging from ten thousand to fifty thousand rupees will be imposed for seeking time during the hearing. No more than three days will be allowed for seeking time during the hearing .The Election Commission has stated that political parties will be required to inform the Election Commission 15 days before the intra-party elections. Similarly, after the amendments to the rules, political parties will be required to submit details of the intra-party elections seven days after the elections. The fines imposed by the Election Commission will be deposited in the government treasury .It should be noted that the Election Commission of Pakistan had previously announced that general elections for January 2024 will be held in the last week of January, with the initial delimitation lists to be published on September 27, 2023. It was stated in the announcement that after hearing objections and suggestions on the initial delimitation lists, the final lists of constituencies would be published on November 30, and after 54 days of the election program, the elections would be held in the last week of January 2024. (Thanks to Dawn News.)