ECP's results withheld notifications: PTI optimistic about its numerical strength required for electing PM, NA speaker

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) is confident that the matter of withholding notifications of four of its candidates-elect of the National Assembly by Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will be resolved in a day or two and will not impact on its numerical strength to elect its Speaker, Deputy Speaker and the Prime Minister.
Talking to reporters PTI spokesman Naeemul Haq said that out of the total nine, ECP has withheld notifications of four candidates-elect of the National Assembly. "We believe that the issue will be resolved in day or two and it would not have an impact on the party's position to comfortably elect its Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Leader of the House [Prime Minister] in the National Assembly," he maintained.
The ECP on Tuesday withheld notifications of 26 successful candidates - nine National Assembly and 17 provincial assembly seats. Out of the total nine National Assembly seats of which results have been put on hold four candidates-elect are of the PTI, bringing its strength down from 116 to 112. The ECP also withheld results of one successful candidate of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), a PTI ally, reducing the party's total seats to three from four.
After the ECP's decision to withhold results of nine seats, the total strength of PTI together with its allies and independents is 138 members - one more than the 137 required to form a simple majority for formation of the government in the center. It includes: PTI 112, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) 6, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) 4, BAP 3, Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) 2, independents 9 [who have already joined PTI], Awami Muslim League (AML) and Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) 1 each.
The ECP has also put on hold results of three seats secured by PML-N, bringing its total strength down to 61 from 64 and one seat won by Pakistan People's Party (PPP) reducing its total number to 42 from 43. Following this development, the total strength of the opposition alliance is 116 which includes PML-N 61, PPP 42, MMA [Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal] 12 and Awami National Party (ANP) 1.
Talking to Business Recorder, PPP's secretary-general Farhatullah Babar expressed optimism that Khursheed Shah, a joint candidate of the opposition for the office of the Speaker, would secure the requisite numbers against PTI's candidate due to his past track record and because he maintained good terms with all parliamentary parties.
"There would be a secret ballot for the election of the Speaker and I believe every member-elect will vote as per his/her conscience. That's why we are confident that Khursheed Shah is a strong candidate who can upstage PTI," he maintained.
"We have been approached by a few members-elect from the treasury who have informed us they would vote for Khursheed Shah", he further claimed, adding the opposition parties were making all out efforts including establishing contacts with individual members-elect of all the political parties to seek vote in favour of their joint candidate.
PML-N spokesperson Maryam Aurangzeb said the joint opposition was supporting PPP's Khursheed Shah for the office of the Speaker. She hoped that many lawmakers from the treasury benches would vote for the opposition candidate in the secret ballot, adding Shah enjoyed good repute among all the parliamentarians.
About the election procedure of the Speaker National Assembly, a senior official of the National Assembly secretariat told Business Recorder that as per the rules of procedure and conduct of business in the National Assembly, if there were only two candidates contesting elections for the office of the Speaker National Assembly, a candidate who secured majority of the votes from the present members of the House on a secret ballot, would be declared as the Speaker of the House.
According to sub-clause 7 of Rule No 9 of the rules of procedure and conduct of business in the National Assembly, if there are more than two candidates for election of the Speaker, the candidate obtaining more votes than the aggregate of votes secured by the other candidates shall be declared to have been elected.
"If no candidate secures more votes than the aggregate votes secured by the other candidates, there shall be a fresh ballot at which the candidate who secures the lowest number of votes at the last ballot shall be excluded from the election, and the balloting shall, in like manner, proceed until one candidate secures more votes than the remaining candidate or, as the case may be, the remaining candidates in the aggregate, and such candidate shall be declared to have been elected," it added.
Parliamentary sources further said that although the role of Speaker National Assembly related to parliamentary business yet he was empowered to take critical decisions that might have a major impact on the country's political scenario such as the power to refer a reference to the ECP against the Prime Minister, leader of the opposition, party head [if member of the House] or any other member of House for disqualification.
The outgoing Speaker of PML-N Ayaz Sadiq sent a reference against PTI Chairman Imran Khan to ECP in September 2016 seeking his disqualification as member of the National Assembly for his "misstatement" about his Bani Gala property; but did not forward a reference filed by PTI in August 2016 against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif seeking his disqualification under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution with regard to his alleged "misstatements" relating to Avenfield flats.
Additionally, many opposition members especially Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmad had been accusing Speaker Ayaz Sadiq for denying them the floor in the National Assembly. However, the private media outside parliament provides an opportunity to every parliamentarian to share views with the people of the country.