Pakistan Parliament Elects New Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif from Prestigious Family in One Day

On the 11th (local time), Shehbaz Sharif, former Chief Minister of Punjab, became the new Prime Minister of Pakistan.
[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] On the 11th (local time), just one day after the ousting of Imran Khan, the 'cricket national hero' turned former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif (70), a scion of a prominent political family in Pakistan, was elected as the new Prime Minister.

According to AP News and others, the National Assembly of Pakistan elected Sharif as the new Prime Minister in the afternoon with 174 votes in favor out of a total of 342 members, surpassing the majority. The newly appointed Prime Minister Sharif is a wealthy native of Lahore, the capital of Punjab Province, the most populous province in Pakistan, and the younger brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (72), who served as Prime Minister three times and comes from a distinguished political family.

Since March 2018, Sharif has served as the president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), succeeding his brother. Although he lost the general election that same year, he recently led the opposition to unite and successfully passed a vote of no confidence against former Prime Minister Khan. He particularly emphasized that during Khan’s tenure, the economy collapsed and Pakistan’s diplomatic standing was significantly diminished.

The vote to elect the new Prime Minister took place after former Prime Minister Khan stepped down following a no-confidence vote in Parliament on the 10th. Members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by Khan, collectively resigned their parliamentary seats in protest just before the vote, and only opposition members participated in the election. Foreign media reported that with about 100 members resigning, by-elections are expected to be held.

Pakistan, a parliamentary system, appoints as Prime Minister the leader of the political faction holding the majority of seats in the assembly. Until now, no Prime Minister in Pakistan has completed a full five-year term, and Khan was the first to leave office due to a no-confidence vote. Prime Minister Sharif will serve until the next general election, expected around August next year.