PML-N’s Barrister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani was elected as the prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. He secured 30 votes out of 45 votes in the AJK Assembly. The assembly has 46 seats out of 53 seats, with elections to seven seats in Poonch and Sudhnoti districts still pending.
Key Highlights
- Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani elected as AJK premier with 30 votes out of 45
- PML-N has 32 seats including allies, PPP 14
- Poonch, Sudhnoti: Seven constituencies yet to vote
- PML-N wins 25 open and 6 reserved seats overall
- PPP alleges large-scale rigging in the election process
So far the AJK elections have never been held simultaneously. The vote was originally scheduled for July 27 but was divided into three phases over security fears in the troubled region. The first phase was held on July 27, the second on Aug. 2, and the third on Aug. 10.
The third phase was to be held for the entire Poonch Division comprising 11 constituencies in the Bagh, Haveli, Poonch and Sudhnoti districts. The AJK Election Commission, finally, allowed polling only in Bagh and Haveli, citing the law and order situation in other areas.
So far, voting has been held in 38 directly elected constituencies, where the PML-N has won 25 seats and the PPP 12. A solitary winner from the Awami Dast-o-Bazu party has since joined the PML-N, boosting its numbers. PML-N bagged six of the reserved seats while PPP got two. PML-N and its allies had a total strength of 32 seats before Friday’s election for prime minister, well ahead of PPP’s 14.
The PPP is continuing to contest the results
Questions about the overall election process remain even as Gillani takes office. The PPP has alleged massive rigging and irregularities throughout the polls, a concern the party has raised repeatedly since voting took place. But those objections have not changed the arithmetic in the assembly. The election of Gillani as prime minister was pretty much a foregone conclusion, with the numerical advantage in the PML-N’s favor, even as seven constituencies in Poonch and Sudhnoti continue to remain without a sitting member.
