The Pakistani National Assembly has elected Shehbaz Sharif the country's new prime minister after his predecessor Imran Khan was ousted from his post. Some 174 lawmakers, more than half of the National Assembly, voted for the candidacy of Sharif, who leads the opposition party Pakistan Muslim League-N.
Shehbaz Sharif can now form his own government, which will work until the next general election in the country, which is due in August 2023. The newly minted prime minister vowed to make changes in Pakistan calling his election a "victory of democracy".
The new prime minister also called his predecessor a "liar" warning that Pakistan is currently heading for the biggest budget and trade deficit in its history following Imran Khan's tenure in office.
Lawmakers from the Pakistan Movement for Justice (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) led by Imran Khan, boycotted the election and walked out of the National Assembly in protest. The party's candidate for the post of new prime minister, former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, announced that PTI lawmakers will be ditching their National Assembly seats.
Pakistani Prime Minister Ousted in Hard-Won No-Confidence Vote
The election took place amid political turmoil that has lasted over a week following an attempy by opposition parties to hold a vote of no confidence in then-Prime Minister Imran Khan. The attempt, undertaken on 3 April, was thwarted after Khan advised President Arif Alvi to dissolve the National Assembly and hence call early elections.
The move, however, was overturned by Pakistan's Supreme Court, which ruled it unconstitutional. The National Assembly then convened again on 10 April, successfully passing a no-confidence motion and thus ousting Imran Khan. The ousted prime minister, in turn, accused the US of being behind a plot to have opposition parties oust him. Washington denied having anything to do with the vote.
Opposition parties, united under the Pakistan Democratic Movement alliance accused Imran Khan of poor governance and management of the country's economy, as well as persecution of political opponents.
Khan came to power in 2018 breaking away from the longtime political rivalry between two political forces – the Bhutto and Sharif families, who have dominated Pakistan's politics for decades. Members of both families face accusations of corruption and misconduct, which they denied and newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif himself is on bail in a money laundering case against him. The latter was extended upon his election until 27 April by a court.