Pakistan elects Shehbaz Sharif as PM for 2nd term amid uproar
Islamabad, PAKISTAN (EFE).- Lawmakers in Pakistan’s National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, elected Shehbaz Sharif for a second term as prime minister amid protests from opposition members on Sunday.
Sharif, who previously held office from April 2022 to August 2023 following the removal of then-Prime Minister Imran Khan, was nominated by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led by his elder brother, Nawaz Sharif.
Allies of jailed Khan shouted slogans in protest against Sharif’s appointment, alleging rigging in the general elections.
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Speaker Ayaz Sadiq said Sharif got 201 votes, defeating his rival Omar Ayub of the Sunni Ittehad Council, who got 92 votes. Sharif only needed 169 votes to get a majority.
“Mian Shehbaz Sharif is declared to have been elected as prime minister,” Sadiq said.
Sharif assumed office as the country faced severe economic instability, debt crises, rising militancy, and climate challenges.
Sharif vowed to address the nation’s pressing issues, emphasizing hope and determination.
“In the parliament, we are sitting in, it is being run by debts, and the salaries of lawmakers are also being paid through debts,” Shehbaz said during his speech.
He said he was hopeful the challenges were not impossible to meet.
Lawmakers backed by PTI kept raising slogans during the speech by the newly elected prime minister.
Sharif’s PML-N and Bilawal Bhutto’s Pakistan People Party (PPP) had agreed to form a coalition government along with other smaller parties, including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P).
However, the PPP has said it will only lend outside support to the government and will refrain from being part of it.
President Arif Alvi is expected to administer the oath to the newly elected prime minister of the nation of 240 million people on Monday.
PTI workers and activists continue to protest the election results, alleging rigging, though the Election Commission of Pakistan has dismissed these claims, asserting the fairness of the electoral process.
The PTI claims that its mandate was “stolen” during the vote count, causing its candidates to lose.
The Election Commission of Pakistan has rejected the allegations, claiming the elections were free and fair. EFE
