Nawaz Sharif proclaims brother Shehbaz as PM candidate Maryam Nawaz as Punjab CM
Nawaz Sharif proclaims brother Shehbaz as PM candidate Maryam Nawaz as Punjab CM
In a new development and ahead of Pakistan Elections, Nawaz Sharif proclaims his brother Shehbaz Sharif to be nominated as PM candidate and Maryam Nawaz as CM of Punjab Province.
The nomination was announced by PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb.
Nawaz Sharif has also nominated his daughter Maryam Nawaz for the position of Chief Minister of Punjab province. This announcement comes following the withdrawal of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari from the Prime Ministerial race.
Nawaz went on to state that his party would support Nawaz without being part of the new government. PML-N is believed to have the support of the powerful Pakistan Army while Bilawal concedes that his party doesn’t have a mandate to form a federal government.
Earlier, Shehbaz had asserted that Nawaz would emerge as the PM for a record fourth time. Shehbaz expressed his gratitude to Bilawal and his father Asif Ali Zardari for their support to Nawaz Sharif.
The PML-N and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) have also agreed to move forward with mutual cooperation.
Reportedly, Khan dismissed the idea of forming a coalition government with any main political parties in Pakistan.
He has warned his political rivals against forming a government with ‘stolen votes’. Bilawal expressed his desire to see his father Asif Ali Zardari become the President once again.
Zardari was the President from 2008 to 2013. Bilawal asserted that Zardari has the capacity to resolve the current crisis in the country and urged all political forces to think about the country and end the politics of division.
To form a government, a party must win 133 seats out of 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly.
In the recent elections in Pakistan, no party managed to secure enough seats to form a government, leading to a hung parliament.
The former PM Nawaz Sharif’s party secured 75 seats while Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s party gained 54 seats.
Independent candidates who were supported by the imprisoned former PM Imran Khan won most seats with 93.
Meanwhile, according to senior official of Khan’s party, it will use the platform of two rightwing religious parties in its bid to form the government in the Centre as well as in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Negotiations for the formation of a coalition government are underway among these parties and other smaller parties.
The National Assembly, Pakistan’s lower house of parliament, consists of 336 seats in total, out of which candidates competed for 264 seats. The Assembly also comprises 70 reserved seats, 60 for women and 10 for non-Muslims.
The President is required to call the National Assembly three weeks after the national election, though it is usually convened earlier.
The house then elects a new speaker who subsequently calls for the election of the prime minister. The prime ministerial candidate must secure a simple majority, i.e., 169 seats, to win.
If no candidate secures a majority in the first round, a run-off vote is held between the top two candidates. The voting process continues until a candidate secures a majority. The prime minister, upon being elected, takes an oath and announces the cabinet.
The caretaker set-up overseeing the elections then transfers power to the new government. The 70 reserved seats are allocated to parties proportionate to the number of seats they have won. Independents are not eligible for these reserved seats and must join another party to gain them.
News Edit K.V.Raman
