Pakistan is Set To Elect New Prime Minister This Week After Nawaz Sharif's Resignation

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Pakistan's lawmakers will elect a new prime minister on Tuesday to replace ousted leader Nawaz Sharif, with ruling party stalwart Shahid Khaqan Abbasi expected to become interim leader until Sharif's own brother is eligible.

 Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party holds a majority with 188 seats in the 342-member parliament, so it should be able to swiftly install its choice, barring any defections from its own ranks.

 A quick handover could ease the political upheaval sparked by a Supreme Court decision on Friday to disqualify Sharif for not declaring a source of income. The court also ordered a criminal investigation into him and his family. Abbasi on Sunday vowed to continue Sharif's work.

 Meanwhile, Sharif loyalists incensed by his ouster cheered his arrival in the hill town of Murree. Sharif has lashed out against the court's decision and opponents who used the Supreme Court to topple him. 

 On Sharif's arrival, supporters chanted: "The Lion is here". But his foes slammed PML-N's plans as dynastic and undemocratic. Khan called it a form of "monarchy". 

Sharif said the plan is for former petroleum minister Abbasi to stay in power for less than two months until Shahbaz, who is the chief minister of the vast Punjab province, wins a by-election to the national assembly and becomes eligible to be prime minister.

 His allies believe the verdict smacks of judicial overreach. Others say privately elements of the military had a hand in the process. "People of Pakistan haven't accepted the decision," Abbasi said. 

 He has built a reputation as a competent administrator focused on building infrastructure.

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