In a major relief to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, the government-backed candidate Sadiq Sanjrani on Friday won another term as chairman of the Senate defeating the joint opposition candidate and former premier Yousaf Raza Gilani.
Sanjrani polled 48 votes while Gilani got 42 in the 99-member Senate, dealing a blow to the joint Opposition despite having a majority in the Upper House, PTI reported.
A total of 98 senators voted in the election but eight votes were rejected out of whom seven were stamped on the name of Gilani, who served as the Prime Minister from 2008 until his disqualification and ouster by Pakistan’s Supreme Court in 2012.
The Opposition challenged the result with the former prime minister’s son Qasim Gilani announcing to approach the Election Tribunal while categorically stating the seven votes could not be rejected as they were stamped on the candidate’s name.
The objection was overruled by Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah, the presiding officer, as he stated the votes were rejected because they were not stamped correctly.
Meanwhile, giving further boost to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the ruling party backed Senator Mirza Mohammad Afridi was elected deputy chairman as he trounced opposition candidate Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri of the JUI-F.