Pakistan lawmakers set to meet on 29 Feb to elect new PM, Shehbaz Sharif likely to take the top job

Pakistan’s legislators are scheduled to convene on February 29 for the crucial task of electing a new prime minister, with former premier Shehbaz Sharif expected to take the job after his party formed a coalition to shut out jailed leader Imran Khan’s group despite it winning the most seats in contentious elections, according to a report.

According to a Bloomberg report, citing Geo News television channel which quoted unidentified officials at the office of the outgoing speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf, the legislators will elect a new speaker, deputy speaker and the prime minister in the first session of National Assembly.

Information Minister Murtaza Solangi refrained from immediately confirming the specified date.

The assembly’s gathering follows the national polls on 8 February and the subsequent coalition agreement between two family-controlled parties: the Pakistan Muslim League-N, led by former three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, and the Pakistan Peoples Party, co-chaired by ex-president Asif Ali Zardari and his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

More from World

'We are aware': US State Department tells Firstpost on Munir's nuclear threats 'Quoting fired losers': Trump slams media for 'very unfair' coverage ahead of Putin meeting

Their collaboration aims to block Imran Khan’s group from power, despite Khan’s party winning the highest number of seats in the controversial elections.

The parliamentary procedure to elect the prime minister for the next five years is largely considered a formality, as the coalition partners have already designated Shehbaz Sharif, the younger sibling of Nawaz Sharif, as their nominee for the top position.

Together, they control 152 out of the 265 National Assembly seats, not including independent candidates aligning with various political factions post-election.

Sharif faces off against Khan’s pick for prime minister, Omar Ayub Khan, the grandson of a former military ruler.

Impact Shorts

View All

'We are aware': US State Department tells Firstpost on Munir's nuclear threats

Trump to meet one-on-one with Putin in Alaska — a repeat of infamous Helsinki summit

Ayub Khan enjoys the backing of independent lawmakers aligned with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, led by the cricket legend, who have allied with a conservative Islamic party to secure reserved seats.

Together, they command over 90 seats in total, but the extent of defections among the independents to other political factions remains uncertain.

The incoming prime minister will have to swiftly engage in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to secure a new loan aimed at bolstering the country’s financially strained economy.

As per Bloomberg, Pakistani officials indicate that the nation is pursuing a fresh loan of no less than $6 billion to cover impending debt repayments amounting to billions of dollars due this year.

With inputs from agencies