Newsnomics AJAY ANGELINA reporter |
Shahbaz Sharif, president of PML-N has been elected the Prime minister of Pakistan in his second term after controversial votes held all over Pakistan on February 8, 2024.
"Shahbaz is declared to have been elected the prime minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, secured 201 votes, above the required 169 votes in the house" said Ayaz Sadiq, the speaker of National Assembly.
In reality, Mr. Sharif did not win enough seats to form a government but went into coalition with others to get a majority, clearing his path for a second premiership.
Shahbaz Sharif’s declaration as a Prime Minister came In front after the long wait of three weeks because of large-scale allegations of voter fraud and protests of the opponent party who claimed about the election rigging.
The opponent party PTI (Pakistan’s Tahreek-e-Insaf) believes that the parliamentary elections were rigged in his leader’s favor.
Candidates backed by Imran Khan, the most popular leader of PTI gained the most seats and it happened first time in the history of Pakistan that the independent candidates won the majority seats with high quantity of votes.
But, the PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League) and the PPP (Pakistan People’s Party shake their hands to form a coalition government, which enabled Mr. Shahbaz Sharif to be elected as the prime minister of Pakistan in his second term as his brother Nawaz Sharif stepped aside.
Mr. Shahbaz Sharif, 72, secured 201 votes in parliament to become prime minister, defeating the PTI-backed candidate Omar Ayub, secured 92 votes.
On Monday, Mr. Sharif, as a 24th prime minister of Pakistan took an oath to become the prime minister of Pakistan in the presence of top military leaders and bureaucrats in attendance, among others.
Mr. Sharif pledged to perform his duties and functions with honesty and loyalty and always for the country's independence, "integrity, stability, and for the sake of unity".
However, Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party accuse Sharif of returning to power with the help of the military through what they say were one of the country’s most brazenly rigged parliamentary elections held on February 8.
Mr. Shahbaz Sharif, previously served as prime minister until August 2023, when the National Assembly was dissolved to make way for a caretaker government, tasked with holding the national elections.
