On the 8th of this month, the electorate will choose 593 members of four provincial assemblies in addition to the members of the National Assembly.
In the four provincial assemblies, 132 seats are reserved for women and 24 for non-Muslims.
The outcome of these elections will determine the political landscape and leadership in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan.
In the Punjab Assembly, with a total of 371 seats, candidates eyeing the position of Chief Minister will need to secure a significant majority. The magic number stands at 187 votes.
Similarly, in the Sindh Assembly, comprising of 168 seats, the race for Chief Minister requires candidates to secure a majority of 85 votes.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with its 145-seat assembly, demands a candidate to gather at least 74 votes to ascend to the position of Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, in Balochistan, where the assembly boasts 65 seats, the Chief Ministerial hopefuls need to secure 34 votes to emerge victorious.
As per the rules, before the commencement of the CM election in each provincial assembly, the Speaker shall read out the name or names of the candidates validly nominated in the order in which their nomination papers were received and shall proceed to conduct the election by the procedure prescribed in the Second Schedule.
If there is a single contesting candidate and he secures the votes of the majority of the total membership of the Assembly, the Speaker shall declare him to have been elected as the Chief Minister; but, in case, he does not secure that majority, all proceedings for the election, including nomination of the candidates, shall commence afresh.
If no candidate obtains the votes of the majority of the total membership of the Assembly in the first poll, the Speaker shall organize a second poll between the candidates who secure the two highest number of votes in the first poll and shall declare the candidate who secures the majority of votes of the members present and voting to have been elected as Chief Minister: Provided that if the number of votes secured by two or more candidates securing the highest number of votes is equal, the Speaker shall hold further polls between them until one of them secures the majority of votes of the members present and voting, and shall declare such candidate to have been elected as the Chief Minister.
