News Analysis |
The deadline to submit nomination papers for the slots of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly ended on Tuesday according to details, former speaker of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Asad Qaiser, submitted his nomination papers for the slot of National Assembly speaker from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, while Pakistan Peoples Party’s Khursheed Shah submitted his details from the joint opposition. 11 parties are filing Mr. Shah as their candidate for the post of the National Assembly speaker.
On the other hand, nomination papers for the slot of deputy speaker were submitted by Qasim Suri, from PTI, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl’s Asad Mehmood, from the joint opposition. The speaker and deputy speaker for the National Assembly will be elected on August 15 [today]. The members of the 15th National Assembly took the oath of their office on August 13 [Monday], administered by former Speaker of the National Assembly, Sardar Ayyaz Sadiq.
Read more: Voting under way to elect a National Assembly speaker and deputy…
PTI Leading in the NA
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) consolidated its lead in the National Assembly to 158 seats after pocketing 33 reserved seats of women and minorities. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued a notification to allow reserved seats of women, as well as minorities, to political parties in proportion to their seats won during the recently held general election. PTI had won 116 seats in the elections and another nine independent MNAs-elect joined it afterward, tallying its seats to 125.
This fetched it 28 women reserved seats and five seats of minorities in the National Assembly. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was second in terms of its 64 NA seats, which earned it 16 women reserved seats and two minorities’ seats. This makes its total strength in the 342-member house, 82, followed by the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians who won 42 NA seats in elections, which fetched it nine women reserved seats and two minorities’ seats.
Read more: Young blood: Fresh faces grace the new Parliament
The PPP’s total strength in the National Assembly is now 53. It is expected that the PTI will manage to elect its Speaker and Deputy speaker in today’s session of the assembly. Moreover, Imran Khan, Prime Minister-in-waiting is scheduled to take oath on August 18th. Several guests have been invited to attend the oath-taking ceremony of the Prime Minister.