Pakistan to elect new prime minister today, Shehbaz Sharif set to take oath as 33rd premier

Shehbaz Sharif, the consensus candidate of PML-N and Bilawal Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), submitted his nomination on Saturday after he was declared as the official candidate from the party for the government's top post following the February 8 elections producing a split mandate. Meanwhile, former PM Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has nominated Omar Ayub Khan for the PM's post.

The National Assembly secretariat announced the poll schedule to elect the head of the government on Sunday. With the 2 candidates, the stage is set for Sunday's election, which is expected to be a one-sided affair in favour of Shehbaz Sharif.

In the February 8 polls, none of the parties managed to win the majority mark-- 133 seats out of 265 contested seats in the National Assembly--to form the government. Around 70 seats were reserved for women and minorities, divided between parties on a proportional basis. Khan's PTI along with support of Independent candidates won 93 seats, while the PML-N won 75 seats.