Parliamentary Election 2024: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) top leader Shehbaz Sharif is set to become the country’s 33rd Prime Minister on Sunday amid allegations of election rigging and a faltering economy and security challenges. Shahbaz, the joint candidate of PML-N and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), has submitted his nomination. His rival Omar Ayub Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has also filed his nomination papers.
PML-N president Shehbaz (72) is the younger brother of three-time former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif (74). According to the Secretariat of the National Assembly, voting will be held on Sunday in the National Assembly to elect the new Prime Minister. The successful candidate will be administered the oath of office at the President’s residence Aiwan-e-Sadr on Monday.
Shahbaz is considered an efficient administrator due to his rapid implementation of major development projects during his tenure as Chief Minister of Punjab province. However, he failed to demonstrate this skill effectively during his 16-month tenure as Prime Minister in 2022. They face the challenges of unstable economy and increasing threat of terrorism.
His government will also have to face the grassroots strength of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party, which is protesting against alleged election rigging. In the elections held on February 8, the party led by Sharif failed to get a clear majority. However, technically it is the largest party with 75 seats out of 265.
To everyone’s surprise, Nawaz Sharif supported Shehbaz to lead the alliance. PPP and 4 small parties have joined the alliance. PPP is supporting PML-N from outside in exchange for making its senior leader and former President Asif Ali Zardari the President once again.
Shehbaz Sharif’s election as Prime Minister is almost certain as PML-N and PPP candidates were elected with huge majority on Friday for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. Shahbaz led a coalition government as prime minister from April 2022 to August 2023. ‘The News International’ newspaper quoted “highly placed sources” as saying that Imran Khan President Arif Alvi, known for his closeness to the Prime Minister, has agreed to administer the oath to the new Prime Minister.
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