National Assembly to Elect New Prime Minister Tomorrow
Yesterday’s session saw Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Sardar Ayaz Sadiq being elected as the 22nd speaker of the National Assembly.
Islamabad: The National Assembly of Pakistan is gearing up for a significant political event as it prepares to elect the country’s new prime minister for a five-year term on March 3, as per the schedule issued by the National Assembly secretariat. The nomination papers for the prime minister’s election are set to be received today (Saturday), with the polling scheduled to take place on Sunday at the Parliament House in Islamabad.
In this crucial electoral process, Shehbaz Sharif, the former prime minister and head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has been named as the coalition’s candidate for the coveted post, aiming for a second term in office. Meanwhile, the PTI-SIC coalition has nominated Omar Ayub Khan as its candidate for the prime ministerial position.
With a candidate requiring 169 votes in the 336-member parliament to be elected as the premier, political maneuvering and alliances are in full swing. The PML-N and its allies, including the Pakistan People’s Party, assert having the support of over 200 lawmakers.
Yesterday’s session saw Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Sardar Ayaz Sadiq being elected as the 22nd speaker of the National Assembly. The session, chaired by Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, witnessed voting through a secret ballot, with Ayaz Sadiq securing 199 votes against Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Aamir Dogar’s 91 votes. Following the official announcement by Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was administered the oath as the new speaker of the NA.
Read more: Election Commission moved to postpone PTI intra-party election
After assuming office, the new speaker took charge of the house, while Raja Pervaiz Ashraf gracefully stepped down from his position. The new speaker is now poised to oversee the election of the deputy speaker, marking another step in Pakistan’s democratic process.
Presidential poll: PTI-backed SIC fields Mahmood Khan Achakzai against Asif Zardari
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) on Saturday named Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai as their presidential nominee.
The SIC has nominated Achakzai as the contender for the coveted constitutional post against Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.
Asif Ali Zardari will be presidential candidate of coalition partners including the PML-N, People’s Party and other allies.
Farooq Naek had obtained nomination form for the presidential election yesterday.
It is to be mentioned here that the Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court has been nominated presiding officer for presidential election in the Senate and the National Assembly.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday announced the schedule for the presidential elections.
According to the ECP schedule, polling for the presidential election will be held on March 9 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
The nomination papers can be submitted till 12:00 noon on March 2 (today).
The Returning Officer (RO) will scrutinize the nomination papers on March 4 at 10:00 am whereas the final list of candidates for the presidential elections will be displayed on March 5:00 at 1:00 pm.
The PPP and the PML-N were agreed over the name of Asif Zardari to be elected as head of the state during their power-sharing dialogue.
