The Pakistani parliament’s lower house will meet on Monday to vote for a new prime minister after it removed Imran Khan from the premiership in a no-confidence vote in the early hours of Sunday, acting speaker Ayaz Sadiq said.
Imran Khan, 69, lost the vote of confidence after being deserted by coalition partners who blame him for a crumbling economy and failure to deliver on his campaign promises.
Khan’s removal extends Pakistan’s unenviable record for political instability: no prime minister has completed their full term since independence from Britain in 1947, although Khan is the first to be removed through a no-confidence vote.
The younger brother of three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif is most likely to be Pakistan’s next prime minister.
Shehbaz led the opposition’s bid in parliament to topple Imran Khan. Following Saturday’s vote of no-confidence, Shehbaz is widely expected to succeed Imran.
