PESHAWAR – The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly is set to elect a new chief minister today.
Ali Amin Gandapur, nominated by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), will compete against Dr Ibadullah Khan, the candidate put forth by the PML-N.
Yesterday, Babar Saleem Swati was elected as the speaker and Suraiya Bibi as the deputy speaker. With a majority of PTI-backed members in the house, the session proceeded calmly, though slogans in support of the PTI founder reverberated throughout.
Swati emerged victorious over Ehsanullah Khan, the joint candidate of the PPP, ANP, PML-N, and PTI-Parliamentarians, securing 89 out of 106 votes. Outgoing speaker Mushtaq Ghani administered the oath to Swati.
Subsequently, voting for the deputy speaker took place, resulting in Suraiya Bibi’s win over PTI-P’s Arbab Muhammad Waseem with 87 votes to 19.
However, the session was boycotted by the JUI-F.
In Balochistan, the Assembly is scheduled to elect a chief minister tomorrow. The PPP, which aims to secure the position uncontested, has yet to announce its candidate. Sources suggest that the announcement will be made today, mirroring the uncontested election of the Balochistan Assembly speaker.
