Pakistan’s new PM will hold job for two months

Pakistan’s parliament has voted to elect a stopgap prime minister after the longest-serving civilian leader in its history, Nawaz Sharif, was controversially disqualified by its Supreme Court last week.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, a 58-year-old former minister of petroleum, received 221 of the 339 votes cast by the national assembly. He will hold the role for around two months until Shahbaz Sharif, the current governor of Punjab, takes up the seat vacated by his brother. “Whether I am in power for 45 days or 45 hours, I will work as the prime minister,” said Mr Abbasi, who takes over at a time of profound uncertainty in the country.

Opposition parties had no chance of blocking the choice of the Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz, which enjoys a 188-seat majority.