The government of Pakistan has announced that it will resign in August, prior to the completion of the current term of the National Assembly. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif made the announcement, stating that the government's resignation will occur before the expiry of the National Assembly's term. Following the dissolution of the government, an interim cabinet will assume its responsibilities ahead of schedule, as reported by the Dawn newspaper on Monday.
The lower house of parliament is set to complete its five-year term on August 12. According to Pakistan's constitution, general elections are held within 60 days after the dissolution of the lower house as per the normal course, or not earlier than 90 days in the case of early dissolution.
Last week, Prime Minister Sharif indicated that the government's resignation would take place no later than August 14. In such a scenario, general elections in Pakistan would be held in October or November. Some local media speculate that the prime minister may exercise his right to request early dissolution of the lower house of parliament from President Arif Alvi. However, reports suggest that the ruling coalition parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) led by Sharif and the Pakistan People's Party, have not yet reached a consensus on whether the assembly should be dissolved ahead of schedule.
The main opposition party, the Justice Movement (PTI) led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, is pushing for an early vote in order to return to power as soon as possible. In January 2023, the PTI dissolved the legislative assemblies of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces, where it held a majority, in an attempt to compel the ruling coalition to dissolve the other provincial assemblies and hold early parliamentary elections in April. However, the authorities managed to thwart the opposition's plan, ensuring that voting for National Assembly candidates would not take place until at least the autumn.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Taimur Dee/Creative Commons 4.1
Based on materials from TASS