Election Commission issues guidelines for Form 45 preparation

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued written instructions to the presiding officers for the preparation of Form 45, which is the statement of the count of votes, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The instructions aim to ensure accuracy and transparency in the vote counting process and to avoid any mistakes or discrepancies.

According to the instructions, the presiding officers should prepare Form 45 with utmost care and sign it with their identity card number. They should also get the signature of the polling agent of each contesting candidate or political party in the space provided on Form 45. If any polling agent refuses or fails to sign, the presiding officer should write a brief reason for it on Form 45.

After the signatures, the presiding officer should paste a copy of Form 45 outside the polling station and give another copy to each polling agent present. The presiding officer will be responsible for any changes made in Form 45 after pasting it outside.

The presiding officer should also send a photo of Form 45 to the returning officer through WhatsApp or email. If there is no internet facility, the presiding officer should submit Form 45 to the returning officer's office in person as soon as possible.