Will heed Supreme Court order, no election on Saturday, says EC president Fuad

President of the Elections Commission Fuad Thaufeeq has said that the Commission will heed the Supreme Court order to postpone the second round of the presidential election and thus, will not hold polls on Saturday.

Fuad made his statement today at the Supreme Court hearing of Jumhoory Party's (JP) case contesting the first round of polls, requesting the court to annul the results of the first round.

Answering a question by JP lawyer Dr Hassan Saeed, Fuad told the court that the Commission will not defy the Supreme Court order to delay the election, will stay vigilant for a the next order by the Supreme Court, but said that they will be prepared to hold polls promptly, if necessary.

The Commission’s Vice President Ahmed Fayaz told the court today that the Commission fully accepts the Supreme Court order and that, as the injunction does not order the Commission to halt preparations, the Commission will continue to make arrangements for the polls.

Deputy Attorney General Ahmed Usham told the court today that the Elections Commission has written to the President, highlighting the articles in the constitution requiring the run-off election to be held within twenty one days after the first round of polls.