ISLAMABAD, March 12 (Xinhua) -- A senior politician supported by an alliance of opposition parties in Pakistan was elected Monday as the chairman of Senate, the country's upper house of the parliament.
According to an official announcement made by officials from the Senate, Sadiq Sanjrani who was supported by two main opposition parties, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI), or Pakistan Justice Movement in English, got 57 votes out of the 103 votes polled in the chamber.
The runner-up Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, a candidate of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), secured 46 votes.
Although the PML-N had a sole majority with its 33 members and also had support from some other parties, its candidate could not win required favors.
Majority of the opposition parties had supported Sanjrani's candidature and announced to vote for him after he was elected as the member of the Senate for the first time on March 3, 2018 in the Senate elections, in which, half of the chamber's members were elected.
Sanjrani hails from a political family from Chagai district of the country's southwest Balochistan province. He was born on April 14, 1978, and received a Master Degree in Art from the Balochistan University.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari congratulated Sanjrani, saying that it would make the country stronger. PTI Chairman Imran Khan stated that his party is happy over the election of Sanjrani as it is good for the people of Balochistan and for the Federation of Pakistan.
Sanjrani is the first-ever Senate chairman from Balochistan province.
Earlier in the day, 52 newly elected senators took the oath.