The two biggest political parties in Pakistan are fighting over who should be prime minister following last week’s inconclusive elections, which compelled them to work together to secure a majority in a parliament that is dominated by Imran Khan-backed independents.
As the nuclear-armed country struggles with an economic crisis and an increase in militant violence, the wrangling is likely to exacerbate worries about its stability. In trading on Monday following the findings, Pakistan’s benchmark share market dropped 2.1%.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which won the most seats after independents, both announced late on Sunday that they were committed to “putting the nation’s interest and well-being above everything” and “to steering Pakistan away from political instability and towards a path of prosperity and resilience.”
The impact of candidates supported by Khan, a former prime minister who lost 93 of the 264 seats up for grabs in the election and is incarcerated for corruption, would be lessened if both parties were to create a successful coalition.
Experts forecast that a number of candidates who formerly belonged to Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would join forces with minor parties to challenge the other candidate, or they might align themselves with one party or the other. Coalition talks may become more difficult as a result of the numerous former PTI members who did not win seats contesting the verdict in court.
Regarding the candidates’ plans, the PTI declines to comment.
Negotiations were hampered, however, by differences over who would be the prime minister, according to PML-N and PPP officials.
The PML-N has not yet revealed its nominee for prime minister, but insiders say that Nawaz Sharif, 74, who has held the job three times, and his younger brother Shehbaz, 72, who held the office for eighteen months until August of last year, will vie for the role.
The PPP has always maintained that the 35-year-old former foreign minister is its political heir. Should he win, he would be Pakistan’s youngest prime minister since his mother Benazir held the role.
PPP leader Faisal Kareem Kundi said , “Our party wants Bilawal as prime minister,” and that independents were joining his group. Without us, no one can establish a government.
The National Assembly has 336 members; when it reconvenes in the coming weeks, a candidate seeking prime minister must demonstrate that they have a simple majority of 169 seats.
Protests against the results have been called by a number of political groups and candidates who claim they have been manipulated. Supporters of the PTI obstructed traffic in Peshawar, in the north, but the party cancelled the massive protest it had planned to stage if the results were not announced on Sunday.