ZULFIQAR AHMAD
ISLAMABAD: Despite emerging as the largest political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is still short of four seats to get a simple majority of 172 members in a 342-member National Assembly despite all-out efforts.
At the moment, the PTI – even if it musters the support of smaller allied parties including MQM and independents and adds candidates on reserved seats – has 168 seats and is four members short of a simple majority in the National Assembly.
The Article 91 of the Constitution describes criteria to elect a prime minister. Its subsection 4 says: “Prime Minister shall be elected by the votes of the majority of the total membership of the National Assembly.”
The total membership of the National Assembly is 342 and majority can be attained by securing the support of 172 MNAs. Currently, the PTI has 168 votes in total. However, it does not mean that if one fails to get a simple majority, one cannot become the prime minister.
“Provided that, if no member secures such majority (simple majority) in the first poll, a second poll shall be held between the members who secure the two highest numbers of votes in the first poll and the member who secures a majority of votes of the members present and voting shall be declared to have been elected as prime minister,” reads the subsection 4.
The current situation suggests that Imran Khan will not be able to secure a simple majority. However, he will be elected by securing ‘majority of votes of the members’ who will be present in the House on voting day.
According to provisional results available with the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) website, the PTI has won 116 seats. Four independent MNAs – one from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and three from Punjab – have so far joined the party putting its total to 120.
The PTI will be able to get roughly 25 reserved seats for women in the National Assembly – 15 from Punjab, seven from KP and three from Sindh. The PTI is also expected to get some four seats reserved for minorities in the Lower House. It brings the party’s total strength to 149 seats. The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) on Monday pledged its all-out support to the PTI at the Centre and in Punjab as well. The PML-Q has four seats.
The PTI is also in talks with the MQM. Even if the MQM becomes an ally of the PTI, collectively all the coalition partners including the MQM-P will be able to bring 19 more seats.
Among allied partners, the MQM tops the chart with six seats while it will also be allotted a seat reserved for women. So collectively the MQM-P will add seven to the grand total.
The Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) has four seats while it will also be given a seat reserved for women. So BAP will have a total of five seats. The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) has two seats, while Sheikh Rashid’s Awami Muslim League has one seat. It will take the grand total to 168.
Some 13 MNAs from across the country are elected as independents. Four of them have already joined the PTI while nine are yet to take decisions. If all of those nine independents announce to join PTI, the number will scale up to 170, still short of two votes to get a simple majority.
To gain a simple majority, the PTI has also initiated talks with Balochistan National Party (BNP) that has won three seats. According to a statement, senior PTI leader Jahangir Khan Tareen on Monday telephoned Akhtar Mengal and invited him to join the coalition government.
“Mengal has promised that he will hold talks with PTI leadership in the coming days,” reads the statement.
However, independent candidates from Punjab continued joining PTI, as MPA-elect from PP-106 Malik Umer Farooq joined PTI on Tuesday. He expressed confidence in the PTI leadership and manifesto.
Meanwhile, PTI senior leader Jahangir Khan Tareen claimed that his party has achieved the required number of MPAs to form its government in Punjab provincial assembly, the bastion of the Sharifs.
