KP Assembly Elects Afridi as New CM
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf nominee Sohail Afridi was elected as the new Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Monday during a highly tense assembly session.
The election was held amid a complete boycott by opposition parties in the province, which declared the entire process unconstitutional and refused to participate in voting.
Speaker Babar Saleem Swati announced the victory of Sohail Afridi as Leader of the House with ninety votes, confirming the legality of the election process.
He emphasised that the position of Chief Minister must be filled according to law to ensure that provincial governance continues without any constitutional delay.
Opposition lawmakers led by Dr Ibadullah, Maulana Lutfur Rehman, and Akram Durrani walked out of the assembly, rejecting the election process as completely illegitimate.
Dr Ibadullah maintained that he still recognises Ali Amin Gandapur as the lawful Chief Minister and condemned the new election as unconstitutional and void.
Ali Amin Gandapur, while addressing the assembly before leaving, congratulated Sohail Afridi and called for unity, peace, and political stability across the province.
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He confirmed that his resignation had been submitted on the direction of the party founder, urging rivals to uphold democratic practices and avoid unnecessary conflict.
PTI provincial president Junaid Akbar warned assembly members against defying party instructions, stressing that anyone disobeying leadership decisions would face strict public accountability.
He remarked that party unity and discipline were vital for ensuring effective governance and maintaining stability across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the current political transition.
Governor Faisal Karim Kundi raised objections to the resignation of Gandapur, noting inconsistencies between two letters carrying mismatched signatures and unclear submission timelines.
He directed Gandapur to appear personally at the Governor House on October fifteen to verify the resignation under the constitutionally defined legal procedure.
Despite the pending verification process, the provincial assembly proceeded with the election and confirmed Sohail Afridi as the new Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In the one hundred forty five member assembly, the ruling bloc secured ninety three seats, easily crossing the simple majority threshold of seventy three votes.