Today is the final deadline for candidate withdrawal

Today, January 20, marks the final opportunity for candidates to withdraw their nominations for the 13th National Parliamentary Election and the simultaneous July Charter referendum, scheduled for February 12.

According to the Election Commission (EC), political parties must finalize their single candidates for each constituency and notify returning officers by 5:00 PM. Under Articles 16(1) and 16(2) of the Representation of the People Order (RPO) 1972, any candidate who does not withdraw by this deadline will be officially included on the ballot. For parties with multiple nominees in a single seat, the party's top leadership must clarify their final choice today; otherwise, the extra candidates will be disqualified automatically.

The race will tighten significantly tomorrow, January 21, as returning officers publish the final list of contenders and allocate electoral symbols.2 This will trigger the official campaign period, which begins January 22 and runs until 7:30 AM on February 10.

Over 2,560 aspirants filed papers by the December 29 deadline, 1,842 nominations were initially valid, while 723 were rejected. Following nine days of hearings (Jan 10–18), approximately 420 candidates regained their eligibility.

There are roughly 2,250 valid candidates currently vying for the 300 parliamentary seats.

Voting will take place on Thursday, February 12, from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM.5 This landmark election is the first to be held alongside a national referendum on the "July National Charter" for constitutional reform.