ISLAMABAD (AP) – Pakistan’s parliament on Monday elected opposition lawmaker Shahbaz Sharif as the new prime minister after a week of political unrest led to the ouster of Prime Minister Imran Khan over the weekend.
Sharif took the oath of office in a brief ceremony at the stately white marble palace known as the Presidency.
But his elevation will neither guarantee a peaceful way forward nor solve the country’s many economic problems, including high inflation and a deepening energy crisis.
Sharif, the brother of disgraced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, won by 174 votes after more than 100 lawmakers from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or Pakistan Justice Party, resigned and walked out of the National Assembly in protest.
Those 174 votes — two more than the simple majority required — are enough to pass legislation in the 342-seat assembly. If Khan’s supporters take to the streets, as he has vowed, it could put more pressure on lawmakers and deepen the crisis.
Khan, a former cricket star whose conservative Islamist ideology and stubborn independence shaped his three years and eight months in office, was ousted early Sunday. He lost a no-confidence vote after being abandoned by his fellow party members and a key coalition partner.
In a show of strength and a harbinger of political uncertainty to come, Khan rallied hundreds of thousands of supporters to protest Sunday night, describing the new leadership as an “imposed government” that was working with the US to overthrow him. His supporters marched in cities across Pakistan, waving large party flags and shouting slogans promising to bring him back to power. The crowd was dominated by youth, who form the backbone of Khan’s supporters.
The political drama began on April 3 when Khan sidestepped an initial no-confidence vote demanded by the opposition by dissolving parliament and calling snap elections. The opposition, accusing Khan of economic mismanagement, appealed to the Supreme Court. After four days of deliberations, the court ruled that Khan’s move was illegal and the vote of no confidence continued, leading to his ouster.
Khan has called for snap elections – the vote is not due until August 2023. He has capitalized on anti-American sentiment in Pakistan, accusing Washington of conspiring with his opponents to overthrow him. This conspiracy theory aligns with its youthful base, which often sees the post-9/11 US war on terrorism as an unfair target for Pakistan.
Khan claims Washington is against him for his independent foreign policy in favor of China and Russia. He was criticized for visiting Moscow on February 24, where he met with President Vladimir Putin as Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine.
The US State Department has denied any involvement in Pakistan’s internal politics.
China, Pakistan’s main ally and investor, said Monday it would support any government.
“As a close neighbor and iron friend of Pakistan, we sincerely hope that all factions in Pakistan remain united and work together for national stability and development,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a briefing. “I would like to emphasize that no matter how the political situation in Pakistan changes, China will unswervingly adhere to its friendly policy towards Pakistan.”
China is investing heavily in Pakistan in its multi-billion dollar global initiative to link South and Central Asia to Beijing.
Pakistan’s longtime rival India also sent congratulations to Sharif, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying his country “wishes peace and stability”. The two countries have fought three wars and are perilously close to a fourth over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, which is divided between and claimed by the two.
The opposition coalition is made up of parties that cross the political divide, from the left to the radically religious. The two largest parties are the Pakistan Muslim League, led by Sharif, and the Pakistan People’s Party, co-chaired by the son and husband of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was killed in 2007.
A few wealthy and powerful families have dominated Pakistani politics for decades, with power shifting most frequently between the Sharif and Bhutto camps. Both political houses have been charged with widespread corruption and have received interim sentences. They reject the allegations as politically motivated.
Nawaz Sharif was removed from office by the Supreme Court in 2015 after being convicted of financial irregularities exposed in the so-called Panama Papers – a collection of leaked classified financial documents showing how some of the world’s wealthiest hide their money and run a global law firm based in Panama. He was stripped of his post by the Supreme Court.
Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto’s husband, who was President of Pakistan after the 2008 elections, spent more than seven years in prison and was convicted on corruption charges.
Khan came to power in 2018 and vowed to break the pattern of family rule in Pakistan, but his opponents said he was elected with the help of the powerful military that has ruled the country for half of its 75-year history.
Nawaz Sharif was also overthrown in a military coup in 1999, and Benazir Bhutto’s government was overthrown several times after the military sided with its opposition. In Pakistani politics, where loyalties are often fluid, Bhutto’s fiercest opposition has often come from Sharif’s party.
Shahbaz Sharif has been prime minister three times in Pakistan’s largest and most influential province, Punjab, home to 60% of the country’s 220 million people. His son Hamza was elected the new prime minister by Punjab’s provincial parliament last week, ousting Khan’s candidate. Khan’s party is questioning that choice and the younger Sharif has yet to be sworn in.
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Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed.
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