As expected, Mian Shehbaz Sharif won the election for Prime Minister as the National Assembly gave him 201 votes, versus 92 for Gohar Ayub. That amounts to a two-thirds majority, but is still short of the requirement of 224, making the total membership of the House. Still, it is within striking distance, and the majority is a striking improvement on Mian Shehbaz’s wafer-thin majority during his previous government, when he had just the bare minimum. Still, the Mian Shehbaz government faces two great tests soon, and will depend on the 70 seats of the PPP to achieve at least one of them. The PPP’s 70 MNAs voted for Mian Shehbaz, but the party has not accepted any Cabinet positions, and insists it will support the government from the outside.
