ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi will not preside over the oath ceremony for the new prime minister, as the successor will be elected before the premier’s election. The oath-taking for the newly elected National Assembly members is expected to occur on February 26, three days ahead of the deadline for summoning the inaugural session of the house.
Elected members, for both the National Assembly and provincial assemblies, will cease to be members of the provincial assembly once they take the oath in the national legislature. Parliamentary sources revealed that the election of the Senate’s 53 members, chairman/deputy chairman, and consequently, the president of the country, must be held before March 8. This limited timeframe poses a challenge for conducting the polls for the president’s position.
Sources indicated that if the president’s election occurs a week earlier, the incumbent Arif Alvi will not administer the oath to the new prime minister; instead, the new president will have that responsibility. Once the members of the National and provincial assemblies take the oath, they become eligible to cast their votes for the Senate members’ election.
The sources provided a schedule for the entire process, stating that members must submit their expense details by February 18, and notification of elected members will be made by February 22. The National Assembly session is likely to be held on February 26, with provincial assemblies summoned on the same or the following day. Once the oath is administered, members become regular participants in their respective houses. The Senate election process will then commence and take four days.
Following the conclusion of the Senate oath, the schedule for the president’s election will start. Simultaneously, a five-day schedule for the election of speakers, deputy speakers, and prime minister in the National Assembly, as well as chief ministers in the provincial assemblies, will commence, as per the sources.
It’s worth noting that President Arif Alvi declined to administer the oath to Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on August 14, 2022, citing health issues. The Chairman Senate performed the function, and Alvi, present at the presidency, observed the ceremony through a closed-circuit TV system. The sources also mentioned that the caretaker prime minister and cabinet members will remain in their respective offices until the new prime minister takes the oath.
