Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan, has been ousted through a no-confidence vote in parliament.
He was ousted after being deserted by coalition partners who blame him for a crumbling economy and failure to deliver on his campaign promises.
The result of the vote, which was the culmination of a 13-hour session that included repeated delays, was announced just before on Saturday by the presiding speaker of parliament’s lower house, Ayaz Sadiq.
The no-confidence motion requires 172 votes in the 342-seat parliament to pass, but 174 politicians.
Khan had blocked a similar attempt a few days ago.
Aljazeera reports that Khan became the first prime minister in the country’s history to be ousted through a vote of no confidence, which is the only constitutional way to remove the head of government in Pakistan.
This was coming at the heels of the country’s Supreme Court ruling that Imran Khan acted unconstitutionally in previously blocking the process and dissolving parliament.
Khan had on Friday accused the opposition of conniving with the United States to remove him from power, urging his supporters to stage rallies nationwide on Sunday.
Addressing the nation last night Khan said, “I will not accept an imported government. I’m ready for a struggle.”
But in his speech after Saturday’s vote Pakistan opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif, who is a younger brother to former three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, said, “We will not seek revenge. We will not put people in jails, but the law will take its course.”
