NA approves Shahbaz Sharif, Omar Ayub’s nomination papers for PM election.
ISLAMABAD ( Web News )
The Speaker of the National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Saturday approved the nomination papers of Pakistan Muslim League-N’s Shehbaz Sharif and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) leader Omar Ayub Khan for the prime minister election.
According to a press release issued by the National Assembly secretariat, the Speaker approved the nomination papers for the Prime Minister’s slot after the scrutiny of the papers.
The election for Prime Minister will take place during the session of the National Assembly scheduled for Sunday at 11 am. Only two candidates submitted their nominations for the slot.
The nomination papers of Omar Ayub Khan for Prime Minister of Pakistan/Leader of the House were proposed by MNAs Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Asad Qaiser, Riaz Khan Fatyana, Umair Khan Niazi, and seconded by MNAs Mohammad Sanaullah Khan Mastikhel, Ali Khan Jadoon, Mujahid Ali, and Malik Mohammad Amir Dogar.
The election for the Prime Minister would be conducted through the division of members in the House.
As per the Constitution, before the voting process begins for the slot of Prime Minister, “bells” will ring for five minutes inside the Parliament House to inform every member — in case they are not present in the chamber at the moment — to gather inside. Once the process begins, the doors will be locked, and no one will be allowed to enter or leave the hall till the PM’s election is concluded.
Under the supervision of the Speaker, voting will be held through division. For example, if there are two candidates, the Speaker will say that ‘whoever wants to vote for candidate A can go to lobby A’ and ‘whoever wants to vote for candidate B, can go to lobby B’. If there are three candidates then there can be a lobby C as well.
At the entrance of the said lobbies, there will be a member of the Assembly Secretariat staff who will record the name of every Member of the National Assembly in the register. The whole process will be open and people sitting in the galleries will be able to see who votes for whom.
The political parties have to vote collectively and every member has to vote for the candidate that their party is voting for.
Section 91(4) of the Constitution states, “The Prime Minister shall be elected by the votes of the majority of the total membership of the National Assembly: Provided that, if no member secures such a majority in the first poll, a second poll shall be held between the members who secure the two highest numbers of votes in the first poll and the member who secures a majority of votes of the members present and voting shall be declared to have been elected as Prime Minister: Provided further that, if the number of votes secured by two or more members securing the highest number of votes is equal, further poll shall be held between them until one of them secures a majority of votes of the members present and voting.”