Two of Pakistan’s dynastic political parties have formally announced the formation of a coalition government, a move that brings an end to nearly two weeks of negotiations and likely keeps an incarcerated Imran Khan out of power despite his affiliates winning the most seats in the country’s controversial election.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) announced the coalition late Tuesday, naming former premier Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister and Asif Ali Zardari as president.
“I had offered the independent candidates to form the government first as nobody had a clear mandate; now we have the required number,” Sharif said during the news conference. “It would not be an easy ride. We will work together to bring this country on the path of development and progress.”
The development comes after the South Asian nation’s general election failed to produce a decisive winner earlier this month.
Independent candidates affiliated with former Prime Minister Khan’s Pakistan Tehereek-e-Insaf (PTI) party secured the most parliamentary seats, in a stunning victory for the jailed cricket icon.
But none of the three major parties that contested won the necessary seats to declare a majority in parliament.
Shortly after the coalition announcement, the PTI accused the PMLN and PPP of stealing their mandate to govern.
“Together they stole the nation’s mandate now together they’ll loot the country but the nation will not let that happen,” Khan’s party wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The PTI was effectively banned from contesting this month’s general election after its cricket bat symbol, used on ballots to identify candidates, was removed and party members’ speeches were barred from airing on television. PTI member instead stood as independent candidates.
The party also made claims of wide-scale poll rigging, with Khan releasing a statement from prison last week saying: “I warn against the misadventure of forming a government with stolen votes. Such daylight robbery will not only be a disrespect to the citizens but will also push the country’s economy further into a downward spiral.”
A steel dynasty scion, former premier Shehbaz Sharif is the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif, a three-time former Pakistani prime minister.
Shehbaz Sharif was sworn in as Pakistan’s prime minister in April 2022, after Khan was dramatically ousted from power in a parliamentary no-confidence vote, setting the stage for a tense political showdown between the two men.
Khan has since been jailed and sentenced to at least 14 years in prison on multiple charges, including corruption and revealing state secrets.
Sharif is on course to become prime minister for the second time, with Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of Pakistan’s slain former leader Benazir Bhutto, by his side.
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
