Govt, PDM at Crossroads in Senate Chairman Election

The watershed election for Senate chairman and deputy chairman will be held today with ruling and opposition alliances having a slim majority over each other.

Former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani from Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri from Jamiat-e-Ulema –Fazl (JUI-F) have been nominated as joint candidates by Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) for the posts of chairman and deputy chairman respectively.

Meanwhile, the government has nominated outgoing Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani and Senator Mirza Mohammad Afridi for respective offices.

Although the PDM parties enjoy a thin majority in the upper house, little mistakes on part of the opposition can shift the balance in the government’s favor.

Strength of house

The strength of the upper house has reduced to 100 senators but there are currently 99 lawmakers as Ishaq Dar from PML-N had not taken oath.

PDM parties have 52 senators excluding Ishaq Dar while the ruling coalition has 47 votes in the Senate. Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has refused to take part in the process and to vote for any of the candidates.

The senators of the ruling coalition include 27 members of the PTI, 12 of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), three of MQM, three independents, and one each of PML-Q and GDA.

The opposition senators include 21 of PPP, 17 of PML-N, excluding Dar, five of JUI-F, two each of ANP, BNP-Mengal, PkMAP and National Party, and one of JI.

ANP’s vote from Balochistan

ANP Senator Umar Farooq from Balochistan can vote in favor of Sanjrani as his party is in a coalition with BAP in the province which could be crucial for PDM.

Opposition threatened

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz accused her party’s senators have been threatened to either stay away from the election or vote against Gillani.

Speaking at a press conference on March 11, PML-N leaders including former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Marriyum Aurangzeb and Senator Hafiz Abdul Kareem accused that the process was being sabotaged

Senator Abdul Kareem told he received Whatsapp calls and individuals on the other side forced him to vote against PDM’s candidate or abstain from the process.

However, Senate chairman candidate Gillani said that the establishment seemed impartial until now.

Prime minister joins bandwagon

Prime Minister Imran Khan has also accused that PTI’s senators have also received lucrative offers to vote for PDM’s candidate in the Senate election.

Voting method

Of two candidates for chairman and deputy chairman, the one going to get majority votes will be declared a winner in the poll.

Senate meeting

The Senate meeting will start at 10 am on Friday.

Senator Syed Muzaffar Shah of GDA has been appointed as the presiding officer while he will take oath from the elected senators.

The meeting will be adjourned before Friday prayers and the presiding officer will issue a schedule for the election of chairman and deputy chairman of the senate.

Following the break, the nomination papers for the candidates will be submitted with the presiding officer while the voting will start at 3pm.

The presiding officer will take an oath from the new Senate chairman after which he will conduct the election for deputy chairman and take oath from the new official.

History in making and norms

It would be just the second time in the parliamentary history that there would be voting for the selection of Senate chairman.

From August 1973 till March 2015, the chairmen of the upper house were elected unanimously and with consultation.

Read Also

GDA Coalition Betrayed by PTI in Senate Elections

From first Senate chairman Habibullah Khan to seventh chairman Raza Rabbani, all were elected unopposed.

However, in 2018, the voting was carried out and Sadiq Sanjrani emerged as a winner. 

He aged just 39 years when he sworn in as the Senate chairman.

This time again, the 9th chairman of the upper house will be chosen through votes.

Interestingly, of total 12 Senate chairmen taken the office, most of them hailed from Balochistan. However, no individual has served more than three-year-term.

Importance of the office

The chairmanship of the Senate is an important office after the President of Pakistan as the office-holder becomes acting-president in his absence.