Six candidates to compete for PM position in NA voting
Opposition failed to name joint candidate, hence five people to compete against Shahid Khaqan Abbasi
(Web Desk) – With the ruling PML-N all set to appoint former state minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as interim prime minister for 45 days, the opposition failed to name a joint candidate to compete against him in the National Assembly voting. Shehbaz Sharif will succeed Abbasi after he wins the NA-120 by-election.
The second largest party according to vote bank, PTI, has declared to support Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed. The Awami Muslim League (AML) chairperson has submitted his nomination papers and will also be backed by Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q).
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) member and Opposition Leader Khurshid Shah, the third candidate for PM position, was requested by Abbasi to support the PML-N appointee. He and Naveed Qamar have filed nomination papers to the lower house speaker. PPP will make the final considering both these nominees tomorrow.
Although, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-Pakistan) named Kishwar Zehra, the only woman participant, to contest in voting for PM, they pledged support to the candidate of ruling party later on. Jamaat-e-Islami has coincided on Sahibzada Tariqullah, who won from Upper Dir-cum-Lower Dir constituency, in this regard.
Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has approved the nomination papers of all these appointees. However, he dismissed the reference against Abbasi submitted by Sheikh Rasheed and PTI, suggesting them to go to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
National Assembly session to elect the leader of the house will take place on August 1. Any of these candidates will require a majority of 172/342 votes for premiership. It should be recalled that PML-N along with its coalition holds an overwhelming majority of 209 members in the lower house.
On June 28, Nawaz Sharif was declared ineligible to be a member of the lower house in the Supreme Court verdict for Panama case.
