Thailand’s prime minister survives no-confidence vote

BANGKOK, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha survived a no-confidence vote Saturday in parliament amid allegations that his government mismanaged the economy, bungled the provision of COVID-19 vaccines, abused human rights and fostered corruption.

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Pakistan’s jailed ex-PM Khan seeks Oxford University chancellor role

Islamabad: Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former prime minister, has formally applied to run for chancellor of Oxford University from his prison cell, a close aide announced Sunday. Khan served as Pakistan’s leader from 2018 until April 2022, when he was ousted through an opposition parliamentary no-confidence vote he alleges was planned by the powerful Pakistani military. […]

Pakistan: Former PM Imran Khan urges election after stunning Punjab poll win

JULY 18: His PTI party won 15 of 20 seats up for grabs in Punjab, beating their arch-rivals the PML-N on their home ground. The result is being seen as a foretaste of what could happen in a general election due by October 2023. Mr Khan was ousted as prime minister in a no-confidence vote in April. The result in Punjab is a major blow for current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who leads the PML-N, and his coalition government in power nationally. The party won just four of the seats holding by-elections, with one going to an independent candidate. Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province, has long been a bastion of support for the PML-N of Mr Sharif, and his older brother, three-time former PM Nawaz Sharif. Mr Khan has attracted thousands of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters to rallies since being ousted - taking Punjab shows he is still a major electoral force to be reckoned with. "The only way forward from here is to hold free and transparent elections," the former cricket star tweeted on Monday. "Any other way will only lead to increased political uncertainty and further economic chaos." Many media reports in Pakistan suggest the voters in Punjab wanted to send a message to the country's leaders about the economic hardships they are facing. Prices are soaring as the government tries to tackle a foreign debt crisis, inherited in large part from Imran Khan's administration. Mr Khan blames a US-led "foreign conspiracy" for his removal as prime minister. Washington has denied the claim.

UK PM under renewed pressure to go after two key ministers quit

LONDON, July 6: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is under renewed pressure to go following the shock resignations of two key cabinet ministers on the same day, political experts told Xinhua on Tuesday. "This looks like the beginning of the end for Boris Johnson. He's lost two of the ministers, who many would regard as among the most competent in the Cabinet, those who have a quality that would be accepted by other potential leaders," said Professor Iain Begg, a political expert at the London School of Economics and Political Science's (LSE) European Institute. Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak resigned on Tuesday in protest against Johnson's leadership. Javid said he "can no longer, in good conscience, continue serving in this government," while Sunak criticized the government's lack of competence. Though Johnson has scrambled to make a swift cabinet reshuffle by appointing Steve Barclay as the new health secretary and Nadhim Zahawi as the new Chancellor, Begg believes the departure of two high-profile ministers and their scathing attack on Johnson's leadership will add to the pressure on his already precarious premiership. "The two resignations tonight and a couple of other resignations by lesser figures clearly intensify the pressure on Boris Johnson to go," he told Xinhua, noting a series of scandals engulfing the prime minister. He called Johnson's survival of a no-confidence vote within his own party weeks ago "a close-run thing." In the confidence vote over the "Partygate" scandal that saw Johnson and government employees revel in alcohol-fueled parties at Downing Street over the past two years when the country was in COVID-19 lockdown, lawmakers who voted against him amounted to more than 40 percent. The latest scandal involved Johnson's appointment of lawmaker Christopher Pincher to deputy chief whip despite being informed of formal complaints about his sexual misconduct. Johnson went on television to apologize for Pincher's appointment minutes before the two cabinet ministers' announcements of resignation. "Johnson is now extremely weakened. The question for him now is whether others, either in the Cabinet or in his own party, will say, this is too much. We must get rid of this man because he's bringing us all down," Begg said. "The accumulation of forces is pointing in the direction of him going, and going quickly." "The likelihood is there's going to be a lot soul-searching, both among members of the Cabinet who are not directly beholden to Boris Johnson and others in the party, and the likelihood is that they will find a way to topple him," he added. Professor Jon Tonge from the political department at the University of Liverpool told Xinhua, "Prime Minister Boris Johnson is on political death row. Any further resignations and it's surely the end. His political credibility is in ruins regardless."

Political change in Pakistan as Shehbaz Sharif seeks to become PM

Opposition politician Shehbaz Sharif submitted his nomination to be Pakistan's next prime minister to the legislature on Sunday, his party said, after incumbent Imran Khan lost a no-confidence vote in parliament after nearly four years in power.

Pakistan’s embattled PM ousted in no-confidence vote

Pakistan’s political opposition ousted the country’s embattled prime minister in a no-confidence vote early Sunday, which they won after several of Imran Khan’s allies and a key coalition party deserted him

Pakistan’s embattled PM ousted in no-confidence vote

ISLAMABAD, April 10: Pakistan’s political opposition ousted the country’s embattled prime minister in a no-confidence vote early Sunday, which they won after several of Imran Khan’s allies and a key coalition party deserted him.

Imran Khan: What's happening next with the PM?

APRIL 8: A decision by the Supreme Court has dealt a blow to the embattled premier following a foiled attempt to oust him from office. Opposition leaders tabled a no-confidence vote against Mr Khan, which was scheduled last Sunday. But the vote was blocked by Mr Khan's own party. Opposition figures reacted furiously, submitting a petition to the Supreme Court to decide whether the blocking of the no-confidence vote was even legal to begin with. Now the court has supported them. How did we get here? Imran Khan was elected in July 2018 on a platform of tackling corruption and fixing the economy. While he remains popular amongst large parts of the population, support has gradually been eroded on account of skyrocketing inflation and a ballooning foreign debt. Some observers have pinned his political shakiness down to an increasingly fraught relationship between Mr Khan and the powerful military, pointing to Mr Khan's refusal to sign off on the appointment of the new chief of one of Pakistan's powerful intelligence agencies in October as a possible cause. His political opponents seized on this perceived weakness, persuading a number of his coalition partners to defect towards them which tipped the majority in their favour and leaving Mr Khan with a shrinking pool of allies. A foiled no-confidence vote On 3 April, opposition lawmakers put the no-confidence motion to the National Assembly in a bid to oust Mr Khan from power, buoyed by hopes that they would have a majority of votes on their side. But in a dramatic turn of events, National Assembly speaker Qasim Suri swiftly blocked the motion, saying there was a "clear nexus" with a foreign state to bring about a change of government. In the days leading up to the vote, Mr Khan had accused the opposition of colluding with foreign powers, and said he was the target of a US-led conspiracy to remove him because of his refusal to stand with them on issues against Russia and China. The US has responded by saying there was "no truth" to these allegations. But Mr Suri ruled the no-confidence motion violated Article 5 of the country's constitution, which calls for loyalty to the state and constitution. Mr Khan subsequently announced the dissolution of parliament, with snap elections to be held in the next 90 days. Opposition figures reacted furiously to the decision, accusing the prime minister of "treason" for blocking the vote and pledging to submit a petition to the Supreme Court to decide if the government went beyond its constitutional power in blocking the vote. What happens next? The Supreme Court has ruled that the blocking of the vote was unconstitutional. It has ordered the no-confidence vote to go ahead again on Saturday, 9 April. It could result in Mr Khan's removal as prime minister. In that event, the Supreme Court said the Assembly would need to appoint a new prime minister. With inputs from BBC

Imran Khan: What we know so far as PM's fate hangs in balance

APRIL 5: A decision by the Supreme Court - scheduled for Tuesday - will decide what will happen to the embattled premier following an attempt to oust him from office. Opposition leaders tabled a no-confidence vote against Mr Khan, which was scheduled for Sunday. But the vote was blocked by Mr Khan's own party. Opposition figures reacted furiously, submitting a petition to the Supreme Court to decide whether the blocking of the no-confidence vote was even legal to begin with. The debacle has riled up the country, prompting many to question how the government managed to get to this point, and what will happen next. How did we get here? Imran Khan was elected in July 2018 on a platform of tackling corruption and fixing the economy. While he remains popular amongst large parts of the population, support has gradually been eroded on account of skyrocketing inflation and a ballooning foreign debt. Some observers have pinned his political shakiness down to an increasingly fraught relationship between Mr Khan and the powerful military, pointing to Mr Khan's refusal to sign off on the appointment of the new chief of one of Pakistan's powerful intelligence agencies in October as a possible cause. His political opponents seized on this perceived weakness, persuading a number of his coalition partners to defect towards them which tipped the majority in their favour and leaving Mr Khan with a shrinking pool of allies. A foiled no-confidence vote On 3 April, opposition lawmakers put the no-confidence motion to the National Assembly in a bid to oust Mr Khan from power, buoyed by hopes that they would have a majority of votes on their side. But in a dramatic turn of events, National Assembly speaker Qasim Suri swiftly blocked the motion, saying there was a "clear nexus" with a foreign state to bring about a change of government. In the days leading up to the vote, Mr Khan had accused the opposition of colluding with foreign powers, and said he was the target of a US-led conspiracy to remove him because of his refusal to stand with them on issues against Russia and China. The US has responded by saying there was "no truth" to these allegations. But Mr Suri ruled the no-confidence motion violated Article 5 of the country's constitution, which calls for loyalty to the state and constitution. Mr Khan subsequently announced the dissolution of parliament, with snap elections to be held in the next 90 days. Opposition figures reacted furiously to the decision, accusing the prime minister of "treason" for blocking the vote and pledging to submit a petition to the Supreme Court to decide if the government went beyond its constitutional power in blocking the vote. What can we expect will happen? The Supreme Court's decision could potentially go one of two ways. If the Supreme Court decides that the blocking of the vote was unconstitutional, it could then order the no-confidence vote to go ahead again. If it takes place, it would result in Mr Khan's removal as prime minister. However, if the court reasons that the decision by the speaker was sound and that the court cannot interfere in parliamentary matters, that still remains a fragile victory for Mr Khan. He will then have to form an interim government which will make sure elections occur in the next 90 days, and there is no guarantee that he will emerge victorious at the end. With inputs from BBC.

Pakistan: Court to decide embattled PM Imran Khan's fate

APRIL 4: Mr Khan has faced an attempt to oust him from office in recent days. But in a move that has roiled the country, members of Mr Khan's party on Sunday blocked a vote of no-confidence in the PM and dissolved parliament. Mr Khan had claimed the vote was part of a US-led conspiracy to remove him, but the US has denied this. Furious opposition politicians have now filed a petition to the Supreme Court to rule on whether the move to block the vote was constitutional. The court is expected to decide by the end of Monday. Mr Khan was widely regarded as having come to power with the help of Pakistan's army, but they have since fallen out, according to observers. His political opponents then seized this opportunity to demand a no-confidence vote after persuading a number of his coalition partners to defect to them. On Sunday, MPs meeting to hold the vote - which Mr Khan was expected to lose - were told of an "an operation for a regime change by a foreign government". The deputy speaker chairing the session - a close ally of the prime minister - then proceeded to declare the vote unconstitutional. Shortly afterwards Pakistan's president Arif Alvi - who is from Mr Khan's ruling PTI party - dissolved parliament in a step towards early elections. The move has sparked anger among the opposition, but in a television address and a series of late night tweets Mr Khan defended the decision. Mr Khan has said his criticism of US policy and other foreign policy decisions has led to an attempt by the US to remove him from power. Opposition politicians ridiculed the accusation, and the US has denied it. "There is no truth to these allegations... we respect and support Pakistan's constitutional process and the rule of law," a State Department spokesperson told news outlet Reuters. But the BBC's Secunder Kermani says that many of Mr Khan's supporters believe his narrative. While Mr Khan's popularity has been severely dented by the rising cost of living, he still has a sizeable following and he stands a better chance in fresh elections than he did in a parliamentary vote, according to our correspondent.

Pakistan’s PM faces no-confidence vote

Pakistan’s embattled prime minister faces a no-confidence vote in Parliament on Sunday and the opposition said it has the numbers to win.