ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly has elected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan as the 22nd prime minister of Pakistan, more than two decades after the former captain of the Pakistan cricket team entered politics.
Imran, whose party swept the July 25 general election and commands the loyalty of a majority of lawmakers in the Lower House of Parliament, will take oath of office on Saturday.
One hundred and seventy six members of the National Assembly voted in favour of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairperson while his opponent, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif, received 96 votes.
After the PM’s election, PML-N lawmakers resorted to chanting slogans of ‘respect the vote’. Women lawmakers of PML-N and PTI also chanted slogans in favour of their parties.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the third largest party in the House that joined the PML-N and others in an opposition alliance, withdrew its support from Sharif’s candidacy as premier days before the election and abstained from voting. One member of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), which contested elections under the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) banner, also abstained from voting for either candidate. INP
