On Saturday, the Balochistan Assembly dissolution as Governor Malik Abdul Wali Kakar signed Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo’s proposal for its dissolution. The Governor House issued a notification stating that, The Constitution of Pakistan 1973, Governor Malik Abdul Wali Khan Kakar dissolved the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan on the 12th of August 2023 at 5 pm, based on the advice of Chief Minister Bizenjo. Reported by LycansEye
Consequently, the provincial cabinet is also dissolved. Chief Minister Bizenjo will continue his role until the appointment of the caretaker chief minister.
The next step involves consultations between Chief Minister Bizenjo and the Leader of the Opposition in the Balochistan Assembly dissolution, Malik Sikandar, to select an interim chief minister.
The process of selecting an interim chief minister follows the guidelines outlined in Article 224 of the Constitution of Pakistan. After the assembly is dissolved, a caretaker government must be established until a new government is elected.
Chief Minister Bizenjo will initiate the process by writing to the opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly within 48 hours of the assembly’s dissolution, providing three names for the caretaker chief minister and suggesting three names himself.
If an agreement cannot be reached within three days, a committee consisting of six members from the outgoing assembly, representing both the treasury and the opposition equally, will be formed. This committee will have three days to finalize a consensus on one name. If this process fails, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will decide from the nominated names within two days.
The selected caretaker chief minister will serve until a new government is formed. The caretaker chief minister will also have the authority to appoint their own cabinet.
After the caretaker chief minister is appointed, the ECP is obligated to conduct general elections in Balochistan within 90 days. The actual polling can occur between 22 to 45 days after the dissolution, as the constitutionally-required scrutiny of nomination papers takes around 22 days, giving candidates 29 to 30 days for their election campaigns.