KARACHI: The leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has officially chosen Murad Ali Shah, the former provincial chief executive, as their nominee for retaining the position of chief minister in the Sindh government.
Murad Ali Shah, expressing gratitude for the trust placed in him once again, is set to take the oath for the third consecutive term as the province’s chief minister.
In the general elections held on February 8, where 130 general seats of the Sindh Assembly were contested, the PPP secured a dominant position with 87 seats. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan followed with 28 seats, the Grand Democratic Alliance and Jamaat-i-Islami with two seats each, and 11 independents backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.
Given the PPP’s comfortable majority in the house, it does not require support from any other party to elect its speaker, deputy speaker, and chief minister. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan’s formula, the PPP is expected to be allotted 19 seats reserved for women and six for minorities, bringing its total elected members to 112 in the 168-member provincial assembly.
The MQM-P, as the second-largest party, is set to receive six reserved seats for women and two or three for minorities. If the 11 PTI-backed independent MPAs join a party, they will be allotted three seats reserved for women and one for minorities. In case of a draw, the remaining reserved seats for women between the GDA and JI, both having two seats each, will be determined.
The inaugural session of the Sindh assembly is scheduled for Saturday where elected members will take their oath and then proceed to elect the speaker through a secret ballot. The sitting will be presided over by the outgoing speaker or a person nominated by the governor. Subsequently, the assembly will elect a deputy speaker, followed by the election of the chief minister without any debate.
