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Lawmakers vote for second phase of Pak senate polls
Islamabad, Feb 27: Pakistan`s legislators today voted in the second phase of polling to elect the members for senate, the upper house of Parliament, from federally administered areas and from the national assembly.
Islamabad, Feb 27: Pakistan's legislators today voted in the second phase of polling to elect the members for senate, the upper house of Parliament, from federally administered areas and from the national assembly.
The ruling Pakistan Muslim Q (PML-Q) and its allies have already won 43 of the 88 seats of the 100 member senate, in the first phase of the elections held on Monday.
Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali's Quaid-e-Azam faction of Pakistan Muslim League won the largest bloc with 32 seats.
The Islamic hardliner coalition Mutahidamajlis-e-Amal (MMA) came in second the vote with 20 seats. Election for the rest of the seats are being held today.
Jamali's faction has a scant majority in the central government, a comfortable majority in the Punjab province and rules southern Sindh and southwestern Baluchistan provinces as coalition partners.
The north west frontier province that bordered Afghanistan is dominated by an alliance of radical Islamic groups led by MMA.
Contrary to expectations, the opening day of the session of the national assembly yesterday went off smoothly. The MMA did not raise its oft-repeated objections over the constitutional amendments promulgated by Musharraf prior to elections.
The national assembly and the four legislatures were elected in October in the first nationwide vote since President Pervez Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999.
Bureau Report
Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali's Quaid-e-Azam faction of Pakistan Muslim League won the largest bloc with 32 seats.
The Islamic hardliner coalition Mutahidamajlis-e-Amal (MMA) came in second the vote with 20 seats. Election for the rest of the seats are being held today.
Jamali's faction has a scant majority in the central government, a comfortable majority in the Punjab province and rules southern Sindh and southwestern Baluchistan provinces as coalition partners.
The north west frontier province that bordered Afghanistan is dominated by an alliance of radical Islamic groups led by MMA.
Contrary to expectations, the opening day of the session of the national assembly yesterday went off smoothly. The MMA did not raise its oft-repeated objections over the constitutional amendments promulgated by Musharraf prior to elections.
The national assembly and the four legislatures were elected in October in the first nationwide vote since President Pervez Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999.
Bureau Report