PPP's Yusuf Raza Gilani elected as Senate chairman unopposed

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader and former prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani was elected as the Senate chairman 'unopposed' on Tuesday.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Saidal Nasir Khan was elected as the deputy chairman of the upper house of the parliament.

As the session commenced, the newly elected members of the upper house took the oath after the announcement of Senate Secretary Qasim Samad Khan. Senator Ishaq Dar acted as the presiding officer and administered oaths to the Senators.

Following the oath-taking ceremony, the session resumed to elect the chairman and deputy chairman of the upper house. 

With the assistance of a power-sharing deal with ally PMLN, PPP’s Gilani ascended to the coveted seat of chairman senate unopposed.

Earlier, the PPP leader Sherri Rehman had claimed that Gilani would elect the leader of the house with the majority as PPP is the large quorum in the senate with 24 seats. 

PTI and PMLN have 19 seats each, while BAP, ANP, and MQM have 3 seats each in the upper house. 

However, incarcerated Imran Khan-led PTI described senate elections as ‘unconstitutional’ and boycotted the process.

PTI’s Spokesperson Raoof Hasan had demanded to put off the elections until the presence of senators from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the Senate.