The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have announced a joint agreement to form a new administration.
Both parties won fewer seats than former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s PTI party, who accused the coalition of being “mandate thieves.” The agreement was announced at a press conference on Tuesday, after six days of initial negotiations.
Pak’s new PM- Shahbaz Sharif
PMLN’s former Prime Minister and President, Shahbaz Sharif, has been confirmed as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman of the PPP.
The coalition aims to tackle the country’s economic crisis, with Sharif set to become the second prime minister with the support of the junior coalition partner.
Asif Ali Zardari, the PPP’s candidate for president, will also be elected. The process for electing the prime minister is expected by the end of February.
Finally, PPP and PML-N settled on a new coalition government
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have agreed to form a new coalition government after the Pakistan elections.
PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari confirmed that PML-N leader Shehbaz Sharif will be Prime Minister, while PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari will serve as President for a second term. Details of other key posts sharing will be announced at a later date.
Now that the PPP and PML-N have the necessary number, we can form a government, Bilawal told reporters.
He continued by saying that he was hoping the news would cause the markets to react favorably.
A look at “Pak’s rigged elections”
On February 8, Pakistan held elections. The elections yielded a divided mandate, with the PTI-backed independent candidates, led by the imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan, emerging as the largest group amidst claims of vote-rigging.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz secured 75 seats, the Pakistan People’s Party 54 seats, and the Independents 93 seats in the National Assembly, according to an article in the Pakistani newspaper Dawn. Imran’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, meanwhile, denounced the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance, calling the ‘Mandate Thieves’ as a gang.
Nawaz ditched in favour of Shehbaz?
Pakistan is grappling with uncertainty as a fragile coalition, led by Shehbaz Sharif and backed by the PPP, aims to maintain control of parliament and stifle Imran Khan’s PTI following recent elections.
The two major parties that combined to create a parliamentary majority, the PML-N and PTI, have formed a weak coalition to gain control of parliament.
Shehbaz Sharif, a former PM of the PML-N, will be the nominee for Pakistan’s next premier to lead a weak new coalition alliance formed between different parties.
Furthermore, after the decision by the nation’s major political parties to form a coalition government headed by PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, the party of imprisoned former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Wednesday that its “mandate has been stolen in the dark of the night”.
Surprisingly, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chose Shehbaz, 72, as their prime ministerial nominee on Tuesday night rather than Nawaz Sharif, the party’s leader and three-time former prime minister. Khan’s Central Committee of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
Thus, it is to be seen whether the fragile coaltion will survive the political storms of new govt or not.
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