PPP's Gillani named as Pakistan's PM candidate

ISLAMABAD, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's leading political party Saturday nominated Yousuf Raza Gillani as the new prime minister of the country, according to local TV channels.

Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari announced the nomination in a statement read out to the media by PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf Thursday summoned the National Assembly session for the election of a new prime minister on March 24 and would administer the PM's oath-taking on March 25.

PPP and coalition partners' PM candidate will have little problem to be elected since a major opposition party has decided to withdraw its prime minister candidate after mutual consultation.

The PPP emerged as the largest party in the National Assembly in the general elections held on Feb. 18.

Gilani, born in June 1952 in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, was the Speaker of the National Assembly during the second government of Benazir Bhutto, the former PPP leader who was assassinated last December in a suicide attack.

Gillani is currently the PPP's vice president.

ISLAMABAD, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would announce the party's candidate for the office of the prime minister, party spokesman Farhatullah Babar said on Wednesday.

Farhatullah did not disclose the time and date for the announcement, saying "Zardari House will unveil the candidate at an appropriate time." Full story

ISLAMABAD, March 18 (Xinhua) -- The Pakistan People's Party (PPP), the largest in the parliament, has named Fahmida Mirza as its candidate for the post of parliament speaker, local newspaper Dawn reported Tuesday.

If elected, 51-year-old Mriza will be the first woman speaker of the National Assembly or the lower house of parliament in Pakistan. Full story

ISLAMABAD, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarian (PPP) President Makhdoom Amin Fahim called off his meetings scheduled on Sunday morning with Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif and Jamaat Islami amir Qazi Hussain Ahmed.

Talking to the private Geo TV, Fahim said that he was scheduled to arrive in the eastern Pakistan city of Lahore to hold meetings with Sharif and Ahmed but he cancelled the program owing to his party related-schedule in Islamabad, the capital. Full story

ISLAMABAD, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's National Assembly (NA), or lower house of the parliament, on Wednesday elected Fahmida Mirza as the NA speaker, the first woman speaker in Pakistani history.

"Fahmida Mirza is declared elected Speaker of the National Assembly," outgoing Speaker Chaudhry Hussain announced amid desk thumping by the members, a unique expression for agreement. Full story

ISLAMABAD, March 17 (Xinhua) -- The inaugural session of Pakistan's National Assembly or the lower house of parliament begins at 11:50 a.m. local time Monday, in which the members-elected will take oath.

The parliament session was originally scheduled at 11 a.m. Monday morning. The parties were still holding close consultations on the government formation before the session begins.