Pakistani parliament to elect new PM on Tuesday

AP , Sunday 30 Jul 2017

Pakistan's parliament will meet Tuesday to elect a new prime minister after the disqualification of three-term prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League party enjoys a comfortable majority in parliament. The party nominated Sharif's longtime loyalist Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for the top slot on Saturday.

The opposition is expected to name a candidate to challenge Abassi in a vote in parliament. But the six-time lawmaker is expected to win.

Sharif proposed Abbasi as interim prime minister until his brother Shahbaz Sharif, who is the chief minister of Punjab province, can contend in a by-election for the seat left vacant by his brother's disqualification.

Pakistan's Supreme Court disqualified Nawaz Sharif from office on Friday for not being honest and concealing assets.

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