New PM’s oath may be administered by Arif Alvi’s successor

President Arif Alvi won’t administer the oath to the new prime minister because a successor will be elected before the premier’s election.

Members of the newly elected National Assembly (NA) might take their oath on February 26, three days before the deadline to convene the house for its first session, with a similar ceremony happening the next day.

The members, who have been elected for both houses, would no longer be members of the provincial assembly if they took the oath in the national legislature.

Parliamentary insiders informed The News on Monday evening that they must conduct the election for the Senate’s 53 members, chairman/deputy chairman, and subsequently the president of the country, before March 8. They emphasised the limited time available for organising the presidential poll.

The sources said that if the election of the president is held a week earlier, incumbent Arif Alvi will not administer the oath but the new president will. The sources pointed out that once the members of the national and provincial assemblies take the oath, they will be eligible to cast their vote first for Senate elections.