ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s parliament was dissolved by the President on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s advice late last night, according to the President’s Office, setting the stage for a national election amid political and economic crises.
This move paves the way for a forthcoming national election amid the backdrop of ongoing political and economic crises, reports said.
The decision was made three days prior to the culmination of the parliament’s five-year term, which is set to conclude on August 12th, according to Reuters.
Following this development, a caretaker administration will be established, jointly selected by Sharif and an opposition leader from the outgoing parliament.
Their role will be to oversee new elections within the span of 90 days.
Addressing the parliament earlier, the premier stated, “Tonight, I will recommend the dissolution of the parliament to the president.”
He also indicated that discussions with the opposition leader would commence on the following day, aiming to collectively nominate a caretaker prime minister from candidates proposed by both sides.
However, the election schedule might experience a potential delay of several months due to the election commission’s responsibility to redraw numerous constituencies, based on updated census data.
In the prior general election held in July 2018, victory was secured by the political party led by former cricketer Imran Khan, who subsequently assumed the role of prime minister shortly thereafter.
(Inputs from Reuters)
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