Shehbaz Sharif becomes Pakistan's prime minister for a second time after controversial election
Shehbaz Sharif, the brother of Nawaz Sharif, on Sunday became Pakistan's prime minister as lawmakers elected him with 201 votes amid protests in parliament.
Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday secured his second term as Pakistan's prime minister as lawmakers elected him with 201 votes amid protests in parliament.
Shehbaz's party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will lead a coalition government with Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) as a key partner. The development comes despite former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed independents emerging as the largest number of winners, followed by PML-N and PPP.
The PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif had endorsed his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif and party loyalist Sardar Ayaz Sadiq for the posts of prime minister and speaker of the national assembly, respectively.
Shehbaz has earlier led a coalition government for 16 months till August 2023.
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Pakistan elections: who gets what
The PML-N has the full backing of the military establishment to form the government.
As part of the PML-N-PPP alliance deal, it was decided that Nawaz Sharif's daughter, Maryam Nawaz, would be the chief minister of Punjab province. Maryam, the political heir of Nawaz, took the oath on Monday and became the first woman chief minister of any province in the country.
The other part of the deal stipulated that PPP’s senior leader, former Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, would get the President’s post.
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Who won in Pakistan election?
• Independent candidates aligned with Imran Khan's PTI claimed 93 out of 265 national assembly seats.
• Nawaz Sharif's PML-N emerged victorious at 75 seats in the national assembly.
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• Pakistan People's Party (PPP) secured 54 seats in the national assembly.
• Karachi-based Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), representing Urdu-speaking people who migrated from India during partition, got 17 seats.
• Election to one seat was postponed following the death of a candidate.
As per Pakistan's constitution, a party must win 133 out of the 265 contested seats in the 266-member national assembly to form a government.