As Pakistan’s newly elected parliament meets, a look at the PM candidates

Al Jazeera:

Islamabad, Pakistan – Who will be the next prime minister of Pakistan?

That will be the big question as the country’s parliament convenes on Thursday for the first time after the controversial February 8 national elections, marred by large-scale allegations of rigging and manipulation of results.

The tense election threw a split verdict, with independent candidates backed by the jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party winning 93 seats, followed by three-time PM Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) securing 75, and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) 54.

The PMLN and the PPP are in a coalition to form the government, with one of the PTI-backed legislators also joining Sharif’s party.

In the run-up to the vote, the PTI was stripped of its election symbol by the Election Commission of Pakistan for violating election laws, forcing its candidates to run as independents.