Acting President Sadiq Sanjrani has signed the Election (Amendment) Bill 2023, paving the way for Nawaz Sharif and Jahangir Tareen to contest elections.

After the approval by the acting president on Monday, the bill has become an act of Parliament, in which the duration of disqualification will not exceed five years if it has not been specifically outlined.

This will pave the way for PML-N’s Nawaz Sharif and IPP’s Patron-in-Chief Jahangir Tareen to contest elections as both political leaders are now eligible for office under new amendments.

The development comes in the absence of President Arif Alvi, who has departed for Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj.

After President Alvi left for Saudi Arabia, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani on Sunday took charge as the acting president.

Under the Constitution, the chairman of the upper house of Parliament takes the president’s place as the acting president in his absence.

The bill also gives the right of announcing the date of the election to the Election Commission of Pakistan, which was with the president before.

The National Assembly passed amendments to the election bill on Sunday, June 25 while the Senate passed amendments to the Election Act on June 16.