Gilgit-Baltistan to Hold Local Government Elections After 22 Years

GILGIT: Gilgit-Baltistan will hold local government elections for the first time since 2004, with the first phase scheduled for December 5, 2026, in Gilgit, Skardu and Chilas, Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan announced.

Addressing a press conference in Gilgit on Thursday, Khan said the elections would be conducted in four phases under a revised legal and electoral framework.

He said consultations with relevant stakeholders had helped resolve legal and administrative hurdles, leading to necessary amendments to the Local Government Act. He thanked Chief Minister Amjad Hussain Azar, the opposition leader and the provincial cabinet for their cooperation in facilitating the amendments.

Under the new system, elections will be held for four types of local bodies: district councils, union councils, municipal committees and municipal corporations.
District and union councils will operate in rural areas, while municipal committees and municipal corporations will serve urban areas.

Elected representatives will choose chairpersons and vice-chairpersons according to the relevant legal procedures, while municipal corporations will have mayors and deputy mayors.

The chief election commissioner said the system also provided reserved seats for women, youth, minorities and persons with disabilities to ensure representation of different segments of society in local government institutions.

Giving details of the three municipal corporations, he said Gilgit would have 42 general seats filled through direct elections, with the total number of seats reaching 52 after including reserved seats. Skardu would have 21 general seats and 28 seats in total, while Chilas would have 13 general seats and 18 seats overall.

He said elections for reserved seats and the selection of heads of local government bodies would take place after the swearing-in of representatives elected to general seats, in accordance with the relevant rules.

The chief election commissioner said electoral rolls had been prepared, while three teams had been formed to review and verify voter lists across various districts. The lists would be printed after the verification and correction process was completed.

Candidates who had previously paid nomination fees for municipal corporation seats would be allowed to submit their nomination papers again under the revised schedule. They would be required to attach their earlier fee receipts, which would be accepted under the applicable rules.

Khan said candidates must be citizens of Gilgit-Baltistan, at least 25 years old and registered on the electoral roll of the relevant constituency to contest the elections.

He said the introduction of elected local government bodies would help address public issues at the grassroots level and improve access to civic services. The election commission, he added, would make the necessary arrangements to ensure the elections were transparent, fair, peaceful and conducted in accordance with the law