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Shehbaz Sharif: Pakistan's former and arguably future prime minister
Photo: Arif Ali / AFP
Internet blocks, allegations of fraud, violent protests: Almost two weeks after the controversial vote, Pakistan is about to form a minority government. Shehbaz Sharif, who already held the office between April 2022 and August 2023, will be the prime minister.
The Muslim League PML-N of the Sharif political dynasty and the People's Party PPP around former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari say they have enough votes to form a government. The two parties announced this at a press conference. The PML-N will provide the future prime minister. "Shehbaz Sharif will be the candidate for prime minister," said Zardari. Several small parties and independent candidates had announced that they would support the coalition.
In the nuclear-armed South Asian state, the future balance of power appears to have been clarified after the election on February 8th. In the election, completely unexpectedly, candidates registered as independents, the majority of whom belong to the opposition party PTI of imprisoned ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan, won the most seats. The Muslim League PML-N surprisingly only came second in the vote, followed by the PPP, which made forming a government difficult.
Action against opposition in criticism
The election in the country with around 240 million inhabitants was overshadowed by internet blocks and allegations of manipulation. Violent protests followed. Observers criticized the judiciary's harsh approach against the opposition party PTI, which, following a Supreme Court decision, was only allowed to run with independent candidates.
Since Pakistan's independence over 75 years ago as a result of the partition of British India, there have been repeated unrest and instability in the country. The military ruled for more than half of this time. Even among civilian governments, generals were seen as the force that could determine the success or failure of the political leadership.
In Pakistan, the head of government is elected by the National Assembly for five years with a simple majority. One of the country's economic challenges is to negotiate a new aid program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as quickly as possible. Pakistan is currently facing an economic crisis and record inflation. According to Pakistan's constitution, a parliamentary session must be convened by February 29 to vote on a new prime minister.
col/dpa/Reuters