In a significant development, Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan, the Pakistani Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate, emerged victorious in the election for Punjab Assembly Speaker. Khan secured a commanding 224 votes out of the total 327 cast during the Saturday night session.
Ahmed Khan Picher of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) secured the second position with 96 votes, showcasing a competitive electoral atmosphere in the assembly.
Following his election, Khan promptly took the oath of his new post, marking the commencement of his responsibilities as the Punjab Assembly Speaker.
Meanwhile, Malik Zaheer Iqbal Channer, the candidate from PML-N, secured victory in the election for the new deputy speaker of the Punjab Assembly.
Channer garnered significant support, obtaining 220 out of 323 votes while SIC’s Mohammed Moinuddin Riaz emerged as the second-place candidate with a total of 103 votes.
The election proceedings took place during a meeting chaired by the now-former speaker Sabtain Khan. All 327 members participated in the voting process, contributing to the democratic selection of the Speaker. However, the assembly meeting did not escape the fervour of political differences, with both sides engaging in passionate slogans against each other.
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Assembly Secretary Aamir Habib guided the members through the election procedures, with three designated booths facilitating the voting process. The booths accommodated members from various constituencies, ensuring a systematic and fair electoral process.
It’s noteworthy that the PML-N has a substantial number of candidates, adding to the competitive nature of the election. The oath-taking ceremony occurred the day prior, with 321 out of 371 members of the Punjab Assembly taking their oaths.
In the current composition of the provincial assembly, the PML-N leads with 193 members, followed by the Sunni Ittehad Council as the second-largest party with 98 members. Additionally, there are 13 members from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), 10 members from the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), five members from the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), and one member each from Tehreek-e-Labbaik and Pakistan Muslim League-Ziaul Haq in the Punjab Assembly.
The Punjab Assembly, boasting 371 seats, consisting of 297 general seats and 74 reserved seats (66 for women and eight for minorities), holds the distinction of being the largest elected house in the country.
To date, the ECP has issued notifications for 42 reserved seats for women and five for minorities.
On Feb 8, elections on 296 general seats were conducted, with the polling for one seat delayed due to a candidate’s unfortunate demise.
Worth noting is that the previous assembly was dissolved in Jan 2023, leaving the province without a legislature for over a year.
The PML-N nominated Maryam Nawaz as its candidate for the chief ministership. If elected, Maryam would become the first-ever woman chief minister in the country’s history.
Despite challenges to the election results by PTI-backed independents in several Punjab constituencies, the PML-N asserts it has garnered sufficient seats to establish the government.
