Islamabad: Newly elected members of Pakistan’s 16th National Assembly, under the presidency of Speaker Raja Parvez Ashraf, have taken their oaths in the inaugural session. Following this, the National Assembly has finalized the schedule for the election of the Prime Minister.
According to the schedule, the Prime Minister of Pakistan will be elected on Sunday, March 3rd. Nomination papers for the Prime Ministerial candidates can be submitted until 2:00 PM on March 2nd.
Babar Salim from the Sunni Ittehad Council has been elected as the Speaker, and Tharia Bibi as the Deputy Speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.
The scrutiny of the Prime Ministerial nomination papers will be completed by 3:00 PM on the same day, March 3rd, and the election of the Prime Minister will take place during the National Assembly session on March 3rd, Sunday.
As per the schedule of the National Assembly, the members will elect one member from among their Muslim representatives as the Prime Minister.
The ruling coalition has nominated Shahbaz Sharif from the Pakistan Muslim League (N) as their candidate, while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has nominated Omar Ayub as their candidate.
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Abdul Khaliq Achakzai has taken the oath as the Speaker, and Ghazala Gola as the Deputy Speaker of the Balochistan Assembly.
According to the schedule, there will be no other agenda discussed during the session on the day of the Prime Minister’s election, as per Article 226 of the Constitution, which mandates that the Prime Minister’s election will be through a show of hands, meaning it will not be a secret ballot.
The ruling coalition holds 208 votes out of 336 in the House, where a simple majority of 168 is required to form the government. Hence, the Prime Minister will be elected by obtaining at least 169 votes.
