Parliament to elect new PM today

A general view of Parliament House building in Islamabad on April 27, 2018. (AAMIR QURESHI/AFP)

• The newly elected National Assembly today will elect Pakistan’s 21st Prime Minister today
• Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan is contesting for the top office while Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shahbaz Sharif has been fielded as his contender by the 11-party joint opposition

ISLAMABAD: Parliament on Friday will vote to elect Pakistan’s 21st prime minister, with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan tipped to win against his challenger Shahbaz Sharif, president of the Pakistan Muslim League — Nawaz (PML-N).
The PTI won the July 25 election with 116 seats in the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament. 
The party took in independent candidates and formed an alliance with other political parties, putting it above the threshold required for a majority in the assembly, said PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry.
Candidates backed by the PTI and its coalition partners won the key positions of the speaker and deputy speaker of the house on Wednesday, dealing another blow to the 11-party opposition alliance.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), with 54 seats, has reportedly backed out of supporting Sharif’s candidacy, which will weaken the position of the PML-N, which has 81 seats.