Pervaiz Elahi elected Punjab Assembly speaker

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-Azam’s (PML-Q) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has been elected as speaker of the Punjab Assembly.

Mr Elahi, who was the candidate of PTI-led coalition, secured 201 votes whereas his rival, PML-N candidate Chaudhry Iqbal Gujjar, bagged 145 votes. A total of 348 votes were cast in the election for the PA speaker while one vote was discarded.

Outgoing speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal administered oath to Mr Elahi amid protest and uproar from the opposition.

Earlier, ruckus broke out in the house when a woman lawmaker, who belonged to the PTI, showed off her ballot as she cast vote, which angered the PML-N members who gathered in front of the speaker’s dias, demanding that her vote be cancelled.

The speaker, hence, cancelled Sadiqa Sahibdad’s vote because of the protest as he kept instructing protesting lawmakers to take their seats but to no avail.

At the outset, the PA session also witnessed pandemonium as the PTI and PML-N members chanted slogans against each other.

Dost Mazari elected Deputy Speaker

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari was elected as the Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly.

Mazari received 187 votes while his opponent Muhammad Waris received 159 votes. The Pakistan People Party (PPP) had abstained form voting for both the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker.

Composition of Punjab Assembly

Yesterday, the inaugural session of the Punjab Assembly was held in which elected members of the provincial legislature took oath.

In the house of 371 members Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s 179 MPAs, 164 members of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz and 10 members of Pakistan Muslim League Quaid took oath of their office, in addition to seven MPAs-elect of Pakistan Peoples Party and three independent candidates also sworn in.

Among overall 371 seats of Punjab Assembly 297 members are elected by direct election, while 66 seats of the legislature are reserved for women and eight seats reserved for religious minorities.

The assembly has presently 365 members elected in July 25 elections, while the result of three constituencies has been withheld by the election commission. Moreover, elections could not be held at three other seats due to death of a candidate or some other reason.

After the election for speaker and deputy speaker of the house, the new chief minister will be elected through secret balloting.

PML-N has nominated Hamza Shehbaz Sharif for the office of Punjab chief minister. The PTI is yet to announce its nominee for the post.