Shehbaz Sharif was confirmed as prime minister of Pakistan on Sunday, amid cries of outrage from members of the recently elected Parliament over alleged election meddling last month. Pakistan's prime minister at the moment is Imran Khan.
Speaker of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq said that Mr. Sharif had 201 votes, whereas Omar Ayub of the Sunni Ittehad Council had 92. A majority can be achieved by the winner with just 169 votes.
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Mr. Ayub was backed by Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, party. In the election on February 8, Khan's allies garnered more seats together than any other party, yet they were unable to form a government on their own. It was practically a ban on Khan's party participating in the election. The PTI refused to engage in negotiations with its opponents in order to form a coalition.
Mr. Sharif, whose Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won the most seats, invited his party's rivals to work with his administration in his acceptance speech.
He said, "Let us sit together to work for the betterment of Pakistan," as supporters of Khan staged a protest outside the platform, shouting things like "vote thief" and "shame."
Mr. Sharif is the younger brother of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was sent into exile after being found guilty of corruption during Khan's rule. In April 2022, Khan was named prime minister following the PML-N's coalition with other opposition parties to remove him from office through a motion of no confidence. He handed it back to them after a caretaker administration was imposed in August of last year in advance of the general election.
He is going back to the role as part of an alliance with the Pakistan People's Party, which is headed by his father, Asif Ali Zardari, and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. According to the agreement, Mr. Zardari, the former president, must be nominated again for the role.
The Speaker of Parliament has reportedly requested that the upper and lower houses convene jointly on March 9 in order to elect the country's president. Every five years, the president is chosen by MPs and four provincial assemblies.
Mr. Sharif said that his biggest concern was the status of the economy because Pakistan had relied on foreign loans to keep its economy afloat. His administration also has to deal with a rise in terrorist attacks, repair collapsing infrastructure, put a stop to frequent power shortages, and strengthen relations with the Taliban-run neighbouring country of Afghanistan. Furthermore, it must maintain political stability because Khan's party has vowed to continue denouncing the alleged vote-rigging.
Mr. Sharif helped Pakistan avoid default last year by securing a $3 billion IMF credit package. He made contentious choices, such as removing petrol subsidies and raising energy prices, in order to appease the IMF.
He has said he will look for a new IMF bailout when this one expires at the end of the month.