ISLAMABAD – The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Tuesday finally agreed on the power-sharing formula for the new coalition government in Pakistan.
Addressing a late-night presser at the Zardari House in Islamabad, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that Shehbaz Sharif would be the next prime minister and Asif Ali Zardari would be the next president of Pakistan.
According to the sources, the PPP will get many key positions in the new coalition government led by the PML-N. Of governors of the four provinces, PPP will have its people appointed governors in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while the PML-N will have its people appointed governors in Sindh and Balochistan.
PPP will appoint its candidate as chief minister of Balochistan with the help of PML-N. The post of Senate chairman will go to the PPP and deputy chairman to the PML-N. The post of National Assembly speaker will go to the PML-N and deputy speaker to the PPP.
The PPP will not be part of the federal cabinet or the Punjab cabinet. However, the PPP and the PML-N will have their share in the Balochistan cabinet.
No political party could win a simple majority in the February 8 elections. After the Feb 8 polls, the PTI-backed independent candidates won the most National Assembly seats (92) followed by the PML-N (79) and the PPP (54).
Speaking at the presser, Shehbaz Sharif said the new coalition partners had invited the PTI-backed independent candidates to form the government, but they did not have the required numbers to form the government.