Pakistan Elections: PML-N, PPP reach coalition deal; Shehbaz named PM, Zardari president

After nearly two weeks of tussle,the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) announced late Tuesday that a power-sharing arrangement had been reached. The elections held earlier this month failed to produce a decisive winner, forcing the dynastic parties to cobble together a coalition.

The PML-N and PPP agreed to put forward Shehbaz Sharif as the new prime minister whileAsif Ali Zardari will take over as the president of the economically fragile country.

"The Pakistan People's Party and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz have attained the numbers and we will form a government," said PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of Zardari and the late BenazirBhutto, at a late-night press conference.

"We are hopeful that Shehbaz Sharif will soon become the prime minister of the country and the whole of Pakistan should pray that the government should be successful.”

Sharif, sitting beside Bhutto added there were significant challenges ahead and that the coalition needed to "take Pakistan out of these challenges".

Bilawal added the details of the sharing of key constitutional offices between the PPP and PML-N will come at a later date.

Notably, the alliance talks had hit a snag after PPP reportedly demanded keyconstitutional positions of president, chairman senate, and speaker of the National Assembly for its support to PML-N.

Controversial election results

Pakistan's national elections have been controversial with several serious accusations of widespread rigging to alter the results.

While the independent candidates backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan won the maximum number of seats in Parliament, PML-N and PPP managed to combine forces and keep the former PM out of power.

To form a government, a party or coalition must have 133 seats out of 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly.

Independent candidates, most of whom arebacked by the PTI, won 93 National Assembly seats in the election.

The PML-N won 75 seats while the PPP came third with 54 seats. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) has also agreed to support them with their 17 seats.

(With inputs from agencies)