Fahmida Mirza, a former medical doctor, Wednesday became the first woman speaker of the National Assembly as the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and its allies, poised to form the government, showed their strength and voted for her.
Only 324 parliamentarians were present in the National Assembly or the lower house of Pakistan's parliament, and Mirza received 249 votes. Israr Tareen, her rival candidate from the former ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), secured only 70 votes.
"Fahmida Mirza is declared to have been elected speaker of the National Assembly," Chaudhry Amir Hussain, the outgoing speaker, said as MPs pounded their desks in approval and congratulated the purple-veiled former medical doctor.
Later, elections for the deputy speaker were held in which PPP candidate Faisal Kundi defeated Khushbakht Shujaat of the Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM), who was supported by PML-Q.
Mirza was the joint candidate of PPP, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Awami National Party (ANP) and other allied parties.
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