Islamabad, Apr 2 (EFE).- National and regional lawmakers voted to elect new members for the upper house of parliament on Tuesday amid an ongoing power struggle among political parties in crisis-ridden Pakistan.
Following controversial general elections that propelled the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to power, political factions are now fiercely competing for the majority in the Senate, which holds the decisive authority over all legislation before it becomes law.
Each of Pakistan’s four provinces elects 23 senators, with an additional four chosen by the lower house from Islamabad Capital Territory, bringing the total to 96 senators.
Currently, 48 Senate seats are vacant following the completion of members’ six-year terms. Elections are held every three years for half of the total Senate seats.
According to poll body spokesperson Nadeem Haider, 18 contestants were elected unopposed, while elections for the 11 seats from the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were put on hold due to a court case.
Lawmakers from the National Assembly (NA), representing the lower house, as well as those from the Punjab and Sindh assemblies, voted for the remaining 19 Senate seats.
The outcome of the Senate elections will determine the party’s position in the upper house of parliament as political parties strive to gain its control.
The winning majority in the Senate elections will decide which party can elect their chairman or deputy chairman of the upper house. However, no single party will be able to secure both top slots independently.
It is anticipated that coalition partners of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) will agree to a power-sharing formula within the Senate.
The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan, also aims to gain control of the Senate to exert pressure on the government.
PTI emerged as the largest group in the general elections held on February 8, although it failed to form a government amid a series of judicial setbacks and allegations of massive fraud.
On Monday, a Pakistani court suspended a 14-year corruption sentence against Khan and ordered his release on bail, although he is not expected to leave prison as he has been sentenced in two other cases. EFE
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