Power negotiations in Pakistan: Sides becoming clear

While the PTI announced that it would form a coalition with the Islamist parties MWM (Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen) and JI (Jamaat-e-Islami) to secure a majority in the provincial assemblies, their rivals PML-N and PPP also announced that they had decided to form a coalition and would work to reach agreements with smaller parties to achieve the number of seats necessary for a government. 

The PTI finished first in the elections by winning 93 seats, while Nawaz Sharif's party, the PML-N, which has governed the country since the fall of the Imran Khan government following a vote of no confidence in parliament in 2022, won 75 seats. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a rival to the PTI, came in third with 54 seats.

“THE RIGHT OF THE PARTY THAT WON THE ELECTIONS…”

PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan announced the coalition plan on Tuesday, stating that Khan had authorized him to contact all political parties except the PPP, PML-N, and MQM (Muttahida Qaumi Movement). In his statement, Hasan said, “Imran Khan has a clear message that the party that wins the elections has the right to form the government.” 

Since the elections, Khan has stated in three separate messages that they would not form an alliance with the PML-N and PPP, labeling these parties as ‘corrupt’.

As alliances begin to take shape following the elections in the country, the stance of smaller parties and independent candidates will determine which side wins the parliamentary majority. Although the PTI, the party of the currently imprisoned Imran Khan, is the winner of the election, it remains at a disadvantage against the alliance formed by Nawaz Sharif's PML-N and the PPP.

News Source: 12punto