Balochistan chief minister to be elected on Saturday

ISLAMABAD: The Balochistan Assembly will elect leader of the house in its special session scheduled to be held on Saturday (tomorrow). 

Speaker of the provincial legislature Abdul Quddus Bizenjo has asked candidates intending to contest the election for the office of chief minister to file nomination papers at the assembly secretariat by 5:00 pm on Saturday (today).

Yesterday, Mr Bizenjo, an MPA from Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), was elected speaker of the provincial assembly.

The session was presided over by the outgoing Speaker Raheela Durrani who after the election administered oath to the newly elected speaker.

Bizenjo bagged 39 votes from the BAP including six votes from allied parties. His opponent Muhammad Nawaz Kakar of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) received 20 votes.

There are sixty members in the Balochistan Assembly. There were no rejected votes. Bizenjo resumed his responsibilities immediately after being sworn in.

The BAP commands a majority in the provincial assembly and has nominated party president Jam Kamal Khan as the next chief minister of the province.

The new speaker preside over the house for election of deputy speaker. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Babar Musakhel was elected deputy speaker.

Musakhel secured 36 votes while his opponent Ahmed Nawaz of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) got 21 votes, whereas one vote was rejected in the election.