As the PPP and PML-N form an alliance, Asif Ali Zardari is predicted to become the president of Pakistan: Media

ISLAMABAD Asif Ali Zardari, the head of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), is expected to be elected to a second term as president of Pakistan after his party decided to join forces with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to establish a government at the center, according to media sources here. “The country will see the PML-N’s prime minister and the PPP’s president, if the situation remains unchanged,” The News International said on Wednesday, citing sources among discussions over a mutually beneficial agreement between the PML-N and PPP.

Since the elections on February 8 yielded a divided mandate, the nation has been without a functioning government for over a week. Pakistan was looking at a coalition administration since none of the main parties managed to secure a decisive majority.

Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of previous prime minister Nawaz Sharif, is anticipated to take over as prime minister of Pakistan as part of the PML-N and PPP coalition.
By uniting these two parties, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), the incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan’s party, was prevented from taking over even though the independent candidates it supported were able to secure the most seats in the National Assembly.
Pakistan was presided over by PPP president Zardari, 68, from 2008 to 2013.

Later this month, Dr. Arif Alvi, the president of Pakistan at the moment, is expected to step down.
Rather than party leader and three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the 72-year-old Shehbaz was selected by the PML-N on Tuesday night as their candidate for prime minister. After a self-imposed exile in the UK, the 74-year-old veteran politician—who was running for a record-breaking fourth term as prime minister—returned to Pakistan in October of last year.

The MQM-P, PML-Q, IPP, BAP, and PDP have joined the PML-N and PPP to create a coalition administration in the center modeled after the previous Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government.

All of the main leaders had a news conference during which they answered questions on the establishment of the government.

PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari responded to a question regarding the constitutional positions of president, speaker of the National Assembly, and chairman of the Senate by saying that while the party would select its nominees for these positions, he preferred Asif Ali Zardari to be president “because the country is burning and if anyone can help put the fire out, it is Asif Ali Zardari.”
According to individuals familiar with the matter, The News International claimed that the PPP’s endorsement of Shehbaz for the PM position was contingent upon the PML-N leadership endorsing Zardari for the presidency.

In addition to the president, the sources claim that Sarfraz Bugti, the head of the PPP, has informed his party about the political climate in the province. This information was revealed by The News International.