SNAPSHOTS

The Impact of Pakistan's Delayed Senate Formation

Apr 9, 2024 | 18:48 GMT

People gather outside the provincial legislature of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly in Peshawar on Feb. 28, 2024.
People gather outside the provincial legislature of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly in Peshawar on Feb. 28, 2024.

(ABDUL MAJEED/AFP via Getty Images)

Delays in forming Pakistan's Senate and allegations of electoral irregularities may mar the upper house's credibility and cause political instability, but they are unlikely to significantly impact the South Asian country's current International Monetary Fund (IMF) program or obstruct legislation. Following Pakistani President Asif Zardari's call for a session of the upper house, on April 9, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) leader Saidal Nasir Khan were elected as the Senate chairman and deputy chairman. This follows Senate elections on April 2, where members of Pakistan's provincial and national assemblies voted to appoint 48 of the 96 members of the country's upper house of parliament. Final results show that the coalition government secured most of the seats, with the PP winning 14 seats, PML-N winning 13 seats, and the Muttahida Qaudmi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) securing 1 seat out of the 48 available....

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