Former Interim Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti Elected As Balochistan Chief Minister

Mir Sarfraz Bugti secured 41 votes to be elected the chief minister in a result which indicated he had support from vast majority of parties in the assembly

Former Interim Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti Elected As Balochistan Chief Minister

Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) Mir Sarfraz Bugti was on Saturday elected as the new chief minister of Balochistan.

Elections for the chief minister's slot in the Balochistan assembly were held in Quetta on Saturday morning. 

After the elections, the speaker announced the results and counted 41 votes in favour of Bugti in the 51-member house.

He will now lead a coalition government in the province that includes members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).

The results indicate that he also secured votes from across the aisle from the likes of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) and other, smaller parties.

Bugti had served as the interim federal interior minister in the federal 
caretaker setup under fellow Balochistan resident Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar. However, Bugti quit the interim setup ahead of the elections and contested elections.

He contested from PB-10 Dera Bugti in the February 8 general elections. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), he secured 52,485 votes in the constituency. His closest opponent was Gehram Bugti of the Jamhoori Watan Party who had secured 25,773 votes.