PML-N Senior Vice President and chief organiser Maryam Nawaz has been elected as the first woman chief minister of Punjab. She is also the first woman to hold this office in any of the provinces in the country's history.
The Punjab Assembly's session to elect the new leader of the House kicked off earlier in the day, with newly appointed Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan presiding over the session.
Maryam was elected with a huge majority of 220 votes as the opposition parties, led by the Sunni Ittehad Council, boycotted the proceedings. Hence, her competitor, SIC's Rana Aftab, could not bag a single vote.
On being asked by the speaker, Maryam then took the seat of the leader of the House, with the photograph of her late mother, Kulsoom Nawaz, placed at the front of the desk.
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The contenders for the coveted position of chief minister included PML-N's Maryam Nawaz and Sunni Ittehad Council's Rana Aftab Ahmed Khan, setting the stage for a keenly contested battle.
With a majority of 186 members required to be elected as the chief minister of the province, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) appears in a very comfortable position with the support of 224 members out of a house of 327.
As per the current composition of the Punjab Assembly, the PML-N holds a significant majority with 224 members, while the Sunni Ittehad Council boasts 103 members. To clinch victory in the election for the leader of the House, a majority of at least 186 members is required in the House of 327 members.
Assembly proceedings
As Monday's session began, two members were administered the oath as newly elected members of the House, including Khizar Mazar and Hafiz Tahir Qaiser.
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Later, the assembly secretary explained the voting procedure to elect the new leader of the House. Moments later, when the opposition Sunni Ittehad Council's CM candidate, Rana Aftab, attempted to address the House, he was stopped by the speaker, who said no member could speak on a point of order in the session that had only been summoned to elect the leader of the House. Consequently, the entire opposition walked out of the House in boycott.
Speaker Khan then ordered to ring the assembly bells for five minutes, after which the election process will commence.
Outside the assembly, Rana Aftab said dictatorship still continued in today's times, adding that the way they entered the House was shameful. Speaking to the media, he claimed people had decided in their favour and that was where they really ruled.
"Today, this day is of great importance for Punjab," Aftab maintained, adding that if there was a secret ballot voting today, he would appear in front of the people.
In a brief address, Maryam Nawaz suggested the opposition members be called back and allowed to speak. She believed the opposition should avoid leaving the session or boycott. "It is the beauty of democracy that whether one wins or loses, the opposition should be pacified," she added.
The speaker then formed a committee, including Khawaja Imran Nazir, Sohail Shaukat Butt and Khawaja Salman Rafique, to convince the opposition members, after which the proceedings of the House were suspended. The committee successfully negotiated with the opposition members and managed to convince them to return to the House.
However, shortly after coming back, 18 opposition members left the House again when they were not allowed to speak again.
The speaker then ordered to shut the assembly doors and commence the voting process for the chief minister's election.
