LAHORE: Maryam Nawaz, Senior Vice President of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), was elected chief minister of Punjab on Sunday despite the Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) boycott of the elections.
Maryam has become Pakistan’s first female chief minister, winning the elections with the support of 220 MPAs in the provincial parliament.
Her opponent, Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) candidate Rana Aftab Ahmad, received 0 votes as the party boycotted the elections after being barred from speaking.
“The votes have been counted, and Maryam has 220 votes, while SIC candidate Rana Aftab Aftab has zero votes,” stated Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan, who presided over the session.
After announcing the results, the speaker called CM-elect Maryam Nawaz to come to the seat of the leader of the House.
She began her address by welcoming the newly elected Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
“I wanted the opposition to be present in this democratic process,” Maryam added, extending an olive branch to the opposition in her inaugural speech. She also praised her party’s MPs, as well as members of partner parties Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Istehkam-e-Pakistan (IPP), for voting for her.
“This is the honour of every mother, sister and daughter that a woman has been elected as the CM and I pray that the process continues and more women take my place as the leader of the house,” she went on to say.
“I neither have a feeling of revenge or vengeance and my journey includes my arrest, my father’s arrest, my mother’s passing away,” she went on to say.
The Punjab Chief Minister-elect further thanked the opposition for making her “pass through” all the “ordeal” which helped her reach in the province’s top office.
