Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly Set to Elect Speaker, Deputy Speaker and House Leader Today

GILGIT -UNS: The newly elected Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly is scheduled to meet on Monday at 3:00 p.m. to elect the speaker, deputy speaker and leader of the house, marking a key step in the formation of the region’s new government.
The assembly session comes a day after 30 newly elected members took oath. Outgoing Speaker Nazir Ahmed Advocate administered the oath to the lawmakers on Sunday before adjourning the session until Monday.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which emerged as the largest political party in the recent Gilgit-Baltistan elections, is poised to form the next government with the support of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
According to political sources, the PPP and PML-N have reached a power-sharing understanding similar to their coalition arrangement at the federal level. The alliance is expected to secure a comfortable majority in the 33-member assembly.
Official election results show that the PPP won 11 seats, making it the largest party in the house. The PML-N secured six seats, while the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) won four. PTI-backed independent candidates and several smaller parties also gained representation. However, results from three constituencies are still pending due to ongoing court proceedings.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has nominated Amjad Hussain as the party’s candidate for chief minister. Party leaders have expressed confidence that the coalition will strengthen its position further after the allocation of reserved seats.
The assembly is expected to first elect the speaker and deputy speaker before proceeding with the election of the leader of the house. The completion of the process is likely to pave the way for the formation of a new government and bring an end to weeks of political uncertainty following the elections.