Gilgit-Baltistan Heads to Polls as Voters Set to Decide Region’s Political Future
The political future of Gilgit-Baltistan will be decided tomorrow as voters head to the polls to elect members of the regional assembly.
More than 400 candidates, including eight women, are contesting elections on 24 general seats. Polling will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., while election staff and materials are being dispatched to polling stations across the region. Authorities have also put strict security measures in place to ensure a peaceful voting process.
According to the Election Commission of Gilgit-Baltistan, election campaigning officially ended at midnight on June 5, in line with electoral regulations. Voting will now take place on June 7.
The final voter lists show that Gilgit-Baltistan has a total of 963,034 registered voters across its ten districts. Of these, 506,097 are male voters and 456,937 are female voters. A total of 24 constituencies have been established for the elections.
The Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly consists of 33 seats, including 24 directly elected seats, six reserved seats for women, and three reserved seats for technocrats.
The districts of Diamer and Skardu are considered politically significant, each having four constituencies—the highest number in the region. Gilgit, Ghizer, and Ghanche each have three constituencies, while Nagar and Astore have two each. The smaller districts of Hunza, Shigar, and Kharmang each have one constituency.
The election results will determine which political party or coalition forms the next government in Gilgit-Baltistan.
