Nawaz Sharif nominates brother as Pakistan’s next prime minister

Pakistan has moved a step closer to appointing a new government after the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) nominated party president Shehbaz Sharif to be prime minister.

This follows a general election last week in which no party achieved an outright majority.

Nawaz Sharif, a three-time prime minister and head of the PML-N, nominated his younger brother Shehbaz – who was the country’s prime minister between April 2022 and August last year – for the post on Tuesday after his main rival, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari of the Pakistan People’s Party, dropped out of the race for the job, a PML-N spokeswoman said.

Mr Bhutto Zardari said earlier that his party would support the PML-N’s candidate and his government, but would not join the cabinet.

Officials in the PML-N and PPP said the parties formed committees after the election to discuss an agenda that included trying to put PPP members in cabinet positions.

“They are trying their level best, but we are not joining the cabinet up until now,” PPP official Faisal Karim Kundi said.

Analysts say Pakistan needs a stable government with authority to be able to take tough decisions to help pull the country out of its economic crisis.

“Coalition governments can’t work on this principle that one partner takes up all the load and the other partners watch the match from the sidelines and galleries,” PML-N secretary general Ahsan Iqbal told

Geo TV late on Tuesday, when asked about the PPP joining Mr Sharif’s government.

“Everyone has to play the match together. This is why I am hopeful that this is a mature leadership that knows the problems the country is facing.”

The parties began coalition talks after the provisional election results showed candidates affiliated with jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, who stood as independents, had won the most seats in the February 8 poll.

Khan was disqualified from contesting the election by a series of recent convictions, while his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was effectively barred after the Election Commission ruled that it could not field candidates under its election symbol, a cricket bat.

Candidates backed by Khan won 93 seats.

The PML-N – considered the favourite before voting began – emerged as the largest party with 75 seats, followed by the PPP with 54 seats.

Pakistan’s political system means a simple majority can be achieved with 169 of the 336 seats in the National Assembly. Only 266 seats are contested directly in elections. The remaining 70 are reserved,

Analysts say a stable government with authority is needed to help pull the country out of its economic crisis

with 60 for women and 10 for religious minorities.

Those seats are allocated to political parties based on proportional representation of the 266 elected seats. Under the rules, they cannot be allocated to independent candidates.

Independents can join a party up to three days after the Election Commission officially declares the result.

The PTI told The National on Tuesday that it would merge with the Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen party in Punjab province and on a national level, while teaming up with the Jamaat-e-Islami party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi must convene a National Assembly session by February 29.

Members will be sworn in and later elect a prime minister.