Pakistan's two political dynasties will form new coalition after election deadlock

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari (left), Chairman of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) at a press conference in Islamabad Photo: SOHAIL SHAHZAD/EPA -EFE/Shutterstock

Pakistan's two main political dynasties have agreed to form a new coalition to govern the country after recent elections failed to produce a decisive winner.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and The Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which joined forces to oust former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2022, said they would join hands with smaller parties to form the next government.

< p>«The parties present here constitute almost two-thirds of the elected house,» said Shehbaz Sharif, president of the PML-N, along with leaders of the PPP and two other groups.

Khan rules out alliance

Candidates loyal to Khan's Pakistan Tehreek party -e-Insaf (PTI) won a majority of seats in Thursday's elections by running as independents, but Khan ruled out any alliance with his rivals.

Discontent stopped the army. supported the PML-N to gain a ruling majority, with the PPP — their main coalition partner in the previous government — in third place.

Shehbaz Sharif, a former prime minister, will be the candidate to head the new government. coalition as Pakistan's next prime minister, a spokesman said.

Shehbaz Sharif (left), leader of the Pakistan Muslim League party Nawaz (PML-N), at a press conference in Lahore Photo: RAHAT DAR/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Nawaz Sharif, his elder brother, nominated him. This was reported by Marriyam Aurangzeb.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mr. Khan accused both the PML-N and the PPP of corruption.

“ We will not sit with the PML-N or the PPP,” he told several reporters covering the proceedings at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where he has spent most of his time since his arrest in August.

After authorities shut down the country's mobile phone network on election day and votes took more than 24 hours to be counted, there were widespread accusations of voter fraud and manipulation of the results.

“We are going to challenge election day fraud elections. Supreme Court of Pakistan and we will look at the alliance later,” Mr. Khan said, clutching his rosary.

The remarks are among the first Mr. Khan has made publicly since the vote five days ago. returned the favor to his party PTI, despite the fact that it was effectively dissolved.

Unprecedented campaign of defiance

Mr Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in 2022 and has since waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the nation's military kings.

He is buried under dozens of court cases, repeatedly convicted and barred from running for office — all he said was orchestrated to prevent his return to power.

Senior PTI leaders were subject to mass arrests and the party was banned from appearing on the ballot as part of the crackdown. Analysts agree that this was planned by the military establishment.

Independent candidates loyal to Mr Khan still won about 90 of the 266 elected seats in Pakistan's parliament, although PTI insists that without rigging it revenues would have been much higher.

PTI mainly focused on challenging the legitimacy of the vote rather than talking to other parties.

Being a minority government, PML-N and PPP tasks will be set to bring Pakistan out of the crushing economic crisis.