Shehbaz Sharif to be sworn in as Pakistan’s new prime minister after controversial election | Political News

Sharif is likely to return to the role he held until August, when parliament was dissolved ahead of the vote.

islamabad, pakistan – Pakistan’s parliament is set to elect Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister following last month’s controversial election.

The South Asian country voted on February 8 in an election marred by allegations of massive rigging and delayed results. On Sunday, the National Assembly, the so-called lower house, will meet to elect the prime minister.

Sharif, 72, served as prime minister until August last year, when parliament was dissolved and an interim government was established with the task of holding national elections. He is the younger brother of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who founded the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) political party to form the government in conjunction with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

Shehbaz is expected to win against rival Omar Ayub Khan with the support of the Sunni Ittihad Council (SIC). The SIC is a group of politicians who joined former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party (PTI) after it was banned from campaigning. Suspicion of violation of election law.

Shehbaz, who currently chairs the PMLN, enjoys the support of about 200 members of the 336-member House of Representatives. He needs 169 votes to win.

The newly elected MPs were sworn in on Thursday, three weeks after the vote.

Although the PTI lost its electoral symbol and was forced to field candidates as an independent, it won 93 seats and emerged as the largest group.

The party claimed its mandate had been “stolen” and launched street protests against the alleged rigging.

PTI leader Khan, who was removed from office in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022, has been imprisoned since August last year on multiple convictions including revealing state secrets, corruption and “illegal” weddings.

Pakistan, a country with a population of 241 million, is facing economic decline, a rapidly deteriorating security situation, and political instability.