On Saturday (March 6), Pakistani Premier Imran Khan took a confidence vote to know if the country’s deputies trust him or not. He secured a vote of confidence by a narrow margin during a special session of the National Assembly.
Prime Minister Khan secured a vote of confidence by a narrow margin during a special session of the National Assembly on Saturday, gaining 178 votes out of the 342 lawmakers, six more than the minimum required to save his position, ending a week of political turmoil and giving a boost to his fragile government.
The session marked by an opposition boycott of the vote and clashes between government supporters and opposition leaders outside the parliament building.
The need for a vote of confidence emerged after his finance minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh unexpectedly lost an election for a Senate seat to an opposition-backed candidate on Wednesday, triggering a debate Khan had lost the majority support.
The loss represents a significant blow to Khan and the government, because the electoral college in Sheikh’s case was the lower house of parliament, which chooses the prime minister of the country and in 2018 handed a majority to Khan.
Sheikh is also leading crucial talks with international lender the IMF aimed at stabilizing the economy. He can continue as finance minister, however, meaning the political damage is largely symbolic at this stage.
The Senate vote was seen as a test for Khan, who came to power in the 2018 parliamentary elections. It boosted the number of Senate seats for the opposition, which has a slight, 53-47 majority over Khan and wants Khan to step down.
Since the National Assembly is the same electoral college for prime minister, Khan had to secure a vote of confidence to ensure the continuity of his government.
Khan was able to secure 178 votes, against the 172 required to win confidence, the speaker of the house announced.
Speaker Asad Qaisar said, “One hundred and seventy-eight members regarded their votes in favor of the resolution which has been passed now.”
“Consequently Imran Khan has obtained the vote of confidence from the members of the National Assembly.”
Asad Qaisar
Khan a former international cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team criticized the opposition and boasted about his government’s economic performance during his post-vote victory speech in the National Assembly.
The opposition parties are trying their best to pressurize me because they know that I will not give them any concessions, Khan remarked while speaking on the floor of the assembly.
“They have been stealing the country’s money for the last 30 years,” he said. “They have one-point agenda: blackmail him [Imran Khan] and take concessions.”
“We are on the way to economic recovery. The current account is improving constantly and now even the rupee is strengthening against the dollar without government intervention.”
Imran Khan
Analyst believe the political instability that started after the Wednesday Senate elections will continue even after the vote of confidence.
Senior political commentator based in Quetta, Shahzada Zulfiqar, told Nikkei Asia that the government has been losing political weight for the last few weeks.
“This political crisis will eventually lead to fresh general elections well before the planned date of elections in 2023.”
Shahzada Zulfiqar
“The trust vote is seen not as a crucial test of Khan’s hold, for the real battle between government and opposition will be in the election of Chairman Senate because both sides almost have equal votes,” he said.
Meanwhile, elections for Chairman Senate are scheduled for March 12. The opposition has 53 members and the government 47 members in Senate.
