Status: 04/11/2022 16:12
After a vote of no confidence in Khan, Pakistan elected Shebaz Sharif as the new prime minister. The opposition is celebrating a comeback. But the new head of government faces major challenges.
Pakistani opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif was elected prime minister after the vote of no confidence against Imran Khan. 174 of the 374 deputies voted for Sharif, as announced by the speaker of parliament, Ayaz Sadiq, in the capital, Islamabad.
Opposition Leader Sharif Elected Pakistan’s New Prime Minister
tagesschau24 4:00 pm, April 11, 2022
After the election, Sharif described the country’s economic problems as the biggest challenge. “We will have to shed sweat and blood” to get the economy going again, he said.
Tens of thousands took to the streets
Tens of thousands of people across the country protested overnight against the impeachment of former cricket star Khan. Khan’s ruling PTI party announced a mass resignation from parliament ahead of the election. Dozens of deputies left the hall in protest.
Khan was removed from office by a vote of no confidence on Sunday night. This was preceded by a political crisis in the South Asian nuclear power that lasted for days. The former prime minister was under increasing pressure because of the severe economic crisis in the country.
corruption allegations
Sharif, 70, comes from a political dynasty, a family of successful industrialists. In his home country, the populous province of Punjab, Sharif was prime minister for three terms. After a political break in exile in Saudi Arabia, he returned to politics, initially as head of government in Punjab. In 2018 he was elected to the National Assembly, later elected leader of the opposition. He is the president of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N).
The Sharif family has been repeatedly accused of corruption. Sharif was also arrested and charged several times. After the corruption allegations were not substantiated, he was released again.
Tough times for the new prime minister
Observers see challenging times ahead for the new prime minister. Gasoline, gas and food prices have risen very recently for the country’s more than 220 million people.
The parties that elected Sharif also have little in common, observers say. It is therefore questionable whether they can unite their individual interests in day-to-day politics to bring the country into calmer waters and govern it efficiently. Furthermore, Khan wants to continue to get involved politically: he has already called for new protests.