ISLAMABAD: Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) on Friday will elect the next prime minister (PM) of Pakistan.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan is up against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif in the fight for the country’s top office.
In order to become the PM of the country, a candidate requires a simple majority of votes in the NA.
The stage is set for the PTI chairman’s comfortable victory as the country’s top officer, following the earlier announcement of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) that it will abstain from voting in favour of the PML-N president for the post.
With the loss of the PPP’s 54 NA seats, Shehbaz will face an almost impossible task to be elected as PM.
The PML-N has 81 seats in the NA and it is yet unclear if the party will still be supported by the MMA (15 seats) and ANP (1 seat).
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) which is part of the MMA has announced that it will not vote in the election.
On the other hand, PTI has 151 seats and with the support of its allies, the total stands at 175 which is more than the required simple majority.
For the first time in the history of Pakistan, the PPP has decided to remain politically indifferent in the PM election.
According to sources, PPP members will attend the NA session, however, they will refrain from partaking in the election process.
