Sikandar Sultan Raja takes oath as new CEC

STAFF REPORTER
ISLAMABAD Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed administered oath to Sikandar Sultan Raja as the new chief election commissioner (CEC) on Monday at the Supreme Court. President Arif Alvi on Friday had formally appointed Raja as the CEC for five years. A notification issued by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs said that President Alvi made the appointment under Article 213 and 215 of the Constitution. The government and opposition, after months of deadlock, had agreed on Tuesday to appoint Raja to the key ECP post. The post of the CEC had been lying vacant since the retirement of Justice (retd) Sardar Raza on December 6, whereas the appointments of the two ECP members had been pending for a year. The delay in the appointments on the key posts had left the ECP rudderless and affected its functioning