National Assembly
Pakistan: Shehbaz Sharif elected new Prime Minister
Had already held the office of Prime Minister between April 2022 and August 2023: Shehbaz Sharif. photo
© KM Chaudary/AP/dpa
Pakistan’s parliament has once again elected former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as head of government.
The parliament in Pakistan has re-elected former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as head of government.
“Shehbaz Sharif is the declared Prime Minister of Pakistan,” National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq said on television. The 72-year-old Sharif, who had already held the office between April 2022 and August 2023, prevailed with 201 votes to 92 against his rival Omar Ayoub Khan, who was supported by the imprisoned ex-Prime Minister Khan and his opposition party PTI. Sharif’s appointment was met with boos from Khan’s supporters.
The Muslim League PML-N of the Sharif political dynasty and the People’s Party PPP around ex-Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari agreed to a government coalition with several small parties last month after neither of the two established parties won a majority in the parliamentary election.
Election overshadowed by allegations of voter fraud
The February 8 election was overshadowed by allegations of voter fraud, massive internet blackouts and sporadic violence. The opposition party PTI of the popular former prime minister and cricket star Imran Khan complained of systematic discrimination. Following a ruling by the Supreme Court, it was only allowed to send its members into the race as independent candidates. Khan himself is in prison after several convictions, including on corruption charges.
A long list of challenges awaits the new government in the country of more than 240 million inhabitants, including an ailing economy with high inflation of almost 30 percent, an unstable security situation due to attacks by militant Islamists and separatists, and the consequences of climate change.