Punjab Assembly to elect Speaker, deputy speaker today

Elections for the Punjab Assembly speaker and deputy speaker will be held today through secret ballot in the assembly chambers, Radio Pakistan reports.

The polls for both posts are taking place a day after the newly-elected members of the provincial assembly took oath.

Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan will be Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s candidate for the Speaker slot. He will be going up against Sunni Ittehad Council’s Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar.

PML-N’s Malik Zaheer Iqbal Channer will contest against SIC’s Moeen Riaz for the office of deputy speaker.

Their nomination papers have also been accepted after completion of scrutiny.

On Friday, outgoing Speaker Sibtain Khan announced that elections for the speaker and deputy speaker will be held via a secret ballot at 4:00pm under Rules 9 and 10 of the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, 1997, on Saturday.