Pakistan's political scenario is unfolding as Pakistan People's Party (PPP) is taking over power from the caretaker government.
Two candidates fielded by assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's party PPP on Wednesday took oath as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, lower house of Pakistan's parliament.
Dr. Fahmida Mirza was elected as Speaker of National Assembly while Fazal Karim Kundi of the same party was elected as Deputy Speaker of National Assembly.
Fahmida Mirza, a 52-year-old woman member of PPP from Sindh province, won the election of speaker of National assembly and elected as the first ever woman parliamentary Speaker of the country.
She received 249 votes out of 324 polled in the 342-member lower house of the parliament, according to the announcement by the outgoing Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain on Wednesday.
She is wife of Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, who is a close aide of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and was also elected member of provincial assembly in Sindh.
The opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid party and allied parties fielded Israr Tareen, a lawmaker from southwestern Balochistan province to challenge Fahmida Mirza, the News Network International news agency reported on Wednesday. After the elections of the Speaker of National Assembly, the elections of Deputy Speaker of NA were held in which Fazal Karim Kundi was declared as elected Deputy Speaker of National Assembly.
Fazal Karim Kundi is a PPP member from North West Frontier Province and supported by PPP, and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He won 246 votes out of 318 polled in the 342-member lower house of the parliament, according to the announcement by the incumbent Speaker Dr. Fahmida Mirza. 4 votes were declared invalid.
The PPP won the highest number of NA seats in the general elections held on February 18, followed by PML-N in the second position.
