2026 Gilgit Baltistan Assembly election
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TBD (2026)
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24 of the 33 seats in the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly[a] 17 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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File:2026 Gilgit Baltistan Election Results Map.svg Map of Gilgit Baltistan showing the constituencies of the Legislative Assembly. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan in 2026.[1][2]
Background
[edit | edit source]2020 elections
[edit | edit source]Following the elections in 2020, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) emerged as the largest party after winning 16 of the 24 general seats in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, and securing a two-thirds supermajority in the assembly after six women representatives (four who went to the PTI) and the three technocrats (two who went to the PTI) were added with a final total of 22 out of 33 seats. Khalid Khurshid was elected as the Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan. The PTI became the first party in the history of Gilgit-Baltistan to secure a two-thirds majority.[3]
Election of Gulbar Khan
[edit | edit source]On 4 July 2023, a three-member bench of the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court disqualified Khurshid following a court case that revealed his law degree from London to be fake. The case against Khursheed was filed by Ghulam Shahzad Agha, a member of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) who argued that his degree was fraudulent. As a result of his disqualification, he was de-seated and the PTI government in Gilgit-Baltistan was dissolved.[4]
On 13 July 2023, Gulbar Khan, another PTI member of the Assembly, was elected as Chief Minister after securing 19 votes, including three each from the Pakistan Muslim League (N) PML(N) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP), and one from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) (JUI(F)). The remaining twelve votes were from PTI members, who subsequently formed a forward bloc in the assembly. Khan's cabinet included two members each from the PML(N) and PPP, one from the JUI(F), and nine from the PTI forward bloc.[5][6]
Timeline
[edit | edit source]- 24 November 2025: The Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly completed its 5-year tenure at midnight. Elections must be held no more than 60 days after this date.[7] Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appoints Yar Muhammad, a retired Justice of the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court, as the region's caretaker Chief Minister.[8]
- 26 November 2025: Governor Syed Mehdi Shah administers the oath of office to Yar Muhammad.[9]
- 2 December 2025: The Election Commission of Gilgit-Baltistan (ECGB) announces the schedule of the 2026 elections, setting 24 January 2026 as the date when polling will be held.[1]
- 18 December 2025: After consultation with 20 political parties at a multi-party conference, the ECGB announced that the elections would be delayed due to harsh weather conditions in the region.[2]
Parties
[edit | edit source]The table below lists the political parties that held seats at the end of the term of the 3rd Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly.[10]
Notes
[edit | edit source]- ^ Six seats are reserved for women, three seats are reserved for technocrats.
- ^ One seat was vacant at the end of the assembly's term.
- ^ Represented by Nawaz Khan Naji. Although Naji is the leader of Balawaristan National Front (Naji), he ran as an independent in the elections and served as an independent member in the assembly.
References
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