ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) on Tuesday elected unopposed Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Shehbaz Sharif as its permanent party president.
While the Central General Council was in session at Islamabad, it reached a decision to elect the unchallenged nomination of Shehbaz Shairf as PML-N’s president. The announcement is yet to be made public; meanwhile, Chairman Election Commission of Pakistan (CECP) Mehmood Virk stated that finalization will be carried out once all the submitted papers are scrutinized.
In light of the verdict of the Supreme Court (SC) against Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification as Prime Minister, the court six months later ordered to annul Nawaz Sharif’s title as party president. Thus the central working committee of PML-N decided to pass the Presidency to Shehbaz Sharif as acting president till the election of the new party president.
The court overturned a legal amendment by the parliament allowing Nawaz to remain president of the party on February 21.
Shehbaz Sharif might be a likely candidate for premiership in 2019 general elections. However, cases are going on against Shehbaz Sharif in the accountability courts on which the verdict is yet to come and decide the fate of his presidency.
PML-N holds a majority in National Assembly and might suffer in the elections since its leaders are on trial for corruption.