Islamabad (Agencies): Justice (retd) Altaf Ibrahim Qureshi on Friday took oath as the acting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
Justice Qureshi, who is a senior member of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from Punjab, takes over from Justice (r) Sardar Mohammad Raza, whose tenure ended on December 5.
According to Article 217 of the Constitution, the most senior member in age of the members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) acts as the CEC if:
(a) the office of the CEC is vacant
(b) the CEC is "absent or unable to perform the functions of his office due to any other cause"
Acting CEC Qureshi will not be able to form a bench to hear any complaint as the minimum strength of a bench under the existing law has to be three. This means all cases of defection and disqualification will remain pending till the appointment of a new chief election commissioner.
