News Brief
Shehbaz Sharif Set To Become Pakistan PM Again As PML-N, PPP Agree To Form Government After Days Of Negotiations
Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif (Pic via Twitter)
After days of intense negotiations, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have finally reached an agreement to form a new coalition government.
In a joint press conference late on Tuesday (20 February) night, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said the PML-N and the PPP have sufficient numbers to form the federal government.
Bilawal announced that PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, 72, is set to assume the role of the Prime Minister once again.
Similarly, PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari will be the joint candidate for the president’s office.
Further, the announcement for the posts of National Assembly speaker and the Senate chairman would be made at a later stage, he added.
He said former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party-backed candidates and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) failed to achieve a simple majority in Parliament to form government in the Centre.
The PML-N won 75 seats while the PPP bagged 54 seats, while the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), which has also agreed to support the PPP-PML(N) alliance, won 17 seats.
Independent candidates - a majority backed by 71-year-old Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party - won 93 National Assembly seats in the elections.
To form a government, a party must win 133 out of 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly or the lower house of Pakistani Parliament.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest
