Two major Pakistan political parties, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), have announced that they have reached a formal agreement to form a coalition government. This comes after ten days of intense negotiations following the inconclusive national election results.

The agreement was made between Bhutto Zardari’s PPP and the PML-N led by three-time Premier Nawaz Sharif. The formation of this coalition government puts an end to the uncertainty and negotiations that arose after the February 8 elections resulted in a hung national assembly.

Bhutto Zardari confirmed the coalition’s candidate for the prime minister would be Shehbaz Sharif, who was seated beside him at a late-night press conference in Islamabad. He announced that his father, Asif Ali Zardari, will be the alliance’s candidate for the country’s president.

Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif, stated that the two parties have the necessary numbers to form the government and also have the support of other smaller parties. With 79 seats, the PML-N is the largest party, followed by the PPP with 54 seats. Together with four other smaller parties, they have a comfortable majority in the legislature, totaling 264 seats.

The delay in forming a government in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation with a population of 241 million, has raised concerns. The country is currently facing an economic crisis with slow growth, record inflation, and rising militant violence. A stable administration with the authority to make tough decisions is needed to address these challenges.

Bhutto Zardari stated that the parties will work towards forming the government as soon as possible. According to the country’s constitution, a session of parliament must be called by February 29, following which a vote for a new prime minister will take place.