The newly-elected National Assembly of Pakistan is poised to elect the country’s new prime minister today (Sunday).
The competition is between Omar Ayub Khan, the candidate from the Sunni Ittehad Council, and Shahbaz Sharif, who is the nominee of a multi-party alliance.
The session to determine the new Prime Minister will commence at 11 am. Both leaders, Shehbaz Sharif and Omar Ayub Khan, have submitted their nomination papers, which were accepted by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq after thorough scrutiny.
Shehbaz Sharif, the president of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN), enjoys support from the Pakistan Peoples Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party. His candidacy is a result of a power-sharing agreement between the PMLN and PPP after the elections.
In the National Assembly, independents, including those backed by the PTI, form the largest group with 101 seats. They are followed by PMLN with 75 seats and PPP with 54 seats. Several PTI candidates elected to the house have chosen to join the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) to enhance their recognition as a party in the Assembly, aiming to secure reserved seats through this strategic move.
Unlike the voting for the speaker or deputy speaker, the election for the prime minister does not involve a secret ballot. Instead, the process takes place through an open division of members in the house.
