PESHAWAR (Dunya News) – The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly will pick new chief minister on Friday (today).
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) nominated Ali Amin Gandapur will face PML-N candidate Dr. Ibadullah Khan.
On Thursday, Babar Saleem Swati was elected as the speaker and Suraiya Bibi as the deputy speaker. As the house has a majority of the PTI-backed members, the session was calm. However, pro-PTI founder slogans continued to echo in the house throughout the session.
Swati defeated Ehsanullah Khan, the joint candidate of the PPP, ANP, PML-N, and the PTI-Parliamentarians.
In the 106-strong house, he bagged 89 votes while Khan polled 17 votes. Outgoing speaker Mushtaq Ghani administered the oath to newly-elected speaker Swati.
Later, voting for the deputy speaker slot was held. Suraiya Bibi, who won the election from Chitral on a general seat, defeated PTI-P’s Arbab Muhammad Waseem by securing 87 votes against her rival’s 19 votes.
The session was boycotted by the JUI-F.
BALOCHISTAN
The Balochistan Assembly will elect chief minister on Saturday (tomorrow).
There is uncertainty in province as the PPP which is eyeing the slot “unopposed”, has yet to name its candidate.
According to sources, the candidate would be announced today (Friday), hoping the PPP CM would get elected unopposed like the Balochistan Assembly speaker.