The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced that by-elections for 81 vacant local government seats across 20 districts in Balochistan will be held on August 9, 2026. This electoral process aims to fill the seats left vacant due to various reasons including death, resignation, or disqualification of previous members.
The election timeline will begin on June 30 with the issuance of public notices by returning officers. Candidates interested in contesting must submit their nomination papers between July 1 and July 3. Following this, the scrutiny of nominations is scheduled from July 6 to July 8, with the preliminary list of candidates to be published on July 9.
Notably, appeals regarding the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers can be filed from July 10 to July 13. Election tribunals will resolve these appeals by July 16, after which a revised list of candidates will be released on July 17. Candidates will have until July 18 to withdraw their nominations, and the final list along with the allocation of election symbols will be published on July 20.
The by-elections will cover general local council seats in districts including Pishin (Breshore), Chagai, Zhob, Sherani, Loralai, Dukki, Musa Khel, Sibi, Harnai, Kohlu, Nasirabad, Usta Muhammad, Kachhi, Jhal Magsi, Kalat, Khuzdar, Lasbela, Hub, Kech, and Gwadar.
Previously, Balochistan conducted its general local government elections on May 29, 2022. provincial local government laws, by-elections are held periodically to fill vacancies that arise between general elections. The last round of local government by-elections took place in August 2025.
In a significant development, political analysts view these by-elections as a crucial indicator of political parties’ grassroots influence, especially since local governments remain vital for governance and service delivery at the community level.
