There was an atmosphere of jubilation as Sohail Afridi, nominated by former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan, was on Monday elected as the Leader of the House in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, securing 90 votes to become the province’s new chief minister.

Earlier, opposition lawmakers staged protests, refusing to participate in the voting process, arguing that the resignation of sitting Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur had not yet been officially accepted.

However, Speaker Babar Saleem Swati ruled that the election would proceed as scheduled under the assembly’s declared procedure.

The speaker informed the House that Gandapur had submitted his resignation to Governor Faisal Karim Kundi twice — first on October 8, and again on October 11 — and later reiterated his decision on the floor of the assembly.

He cautioned opposition members to maintain decorum, warning that continued disruption could lead to their expulsion from the House.

The members of the opposition staged a walkout as a mark of protest.

Earlier, calling the entire process unconstitutional, Leader of the Opposition in the KP Assembly Ibadullah said that how the votes could be cast when there was already a chief minister in the province since the governor was still to accept his resignation.

He said that he still considered Gandapur as the provincial chief minister.